3 Ipswich Town players to watch out for in the 2023/24 season
Ipswich Town are preparing for life back in the Championship after their promotion from League One last season.
The Tractor Boys will return to the second tier following a four-year absence after finishing as runners-up behind champions Plymouth Argyle.
Kieran McKenna’s side are widely expected to be competitive in the Championship next season and there could be some significant additions in the transfer market given their vast financial resources.
As the countdown to the new season continues, we looked at which Tractor Boys players could be set for a big campaign.
Which Ipswich Town players are ones to watch next season?
Leif Davis
After struggling for game time at Leeds United and on loan at Bournemouth, Davis made the move to Portman Road last summer for a reported fee of £1.5 million.
The 23-year-old played a key role in the Tractor Boys’ promotion, scoring three goals and registering 14 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions.
Ipswich scored the most goals and conceded the fewest goals in League One last season, with Davis’ defensive and offensive qualities proving to be crucial to their success.
If Davis can continue to perform at a similar level in the Championship, he will quickly establish himself as one of the division’s most dangerous wing-backs, and it would be no surprise to see him attract Premier League interest.
Will Jack Taylor impress for Ipswich?
Taylor joined the Tractor Boys from Peterborough United last month for a reported fee of around £1.5 million.
The 25-year-old was one of the stand-out midfielders in League One last season, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 52 appearances in all competitions as Posh reached the play-offs, suggesting he is more than capable of making the step-up to the Championship.
Taylor will face plenty of competition for places at Portman Road from the likes of Lee Evans, Dominic Ball, Massimo Luongo, Panutche Camara and Cameron Humphrys, but it seems likely he will be a regular starter given the significant fee the club paid for him.
McKenna has been a long-standing admirer of Taylor, with the Tractor Boys having three bids turned down in January and he will no doubt improve further under the 37-year-old’s expert guidance.
Nathan Broadhead
The arrival of Broadhead, along with fellow striker George Hirst, in January was a game-changer in Ipswich’s promotion push.
Their form had been faltering at the turn of the year, but their fortunes improved dramatically after Broadhead made the move to Portman Road from Everton for a reported fee of £1.5 million.
Broadhead scored eight goals and registered six assists in 21 appearances for the Tractor Boys, earning his second consecutive promotion from League One after achieving the same feat with Sunderland the previous season.
The 25-year-old has proven his ability in the third tier, and he has shown potential in the Championship, scoring five goals in 22 appearances during a loan spell with a struggling Wigan side in the first half of last season.
That return will likely improve in an Ipswich side who will create plenty of chances and after making his international debut for Wales earlier this year, there is plenty more to come from Broadhead in the year ahead.