It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a season for Ipswich Town so far, with amazing highs such as the dramatic wins on the road versus Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers counterbalanced by some sombre defeats in the Premier League.
Kieran McKenna’s men were resoundingly thrashed 4-0 last time out against Newcastle United, as the likes of Alexander Isak for the visitors had a field day against a porous Ipswich defence who just couldn’t handle the Magpies’ unbelievable firepower.
Whilst McKenna groans about the poor displays of Arijanet Muric and Dara O’Shea at the back from this sobering defeat – who both joined this summer – it hasn’t been all doom and gloom on the transfer front, as some new recruits have also settled in swimmingly.
Ipswich's summer transfer business
There is an obvious place to start when it comes to positive fresh additions, with Liam Delap undoubtedly Ipswich’s biggest success from the many bodies that entered the building.
McKenna certainly missed his potent attacker against Newcastle – with the former Manchester City striker unfortunately out with a suspension – considering the 21-year-old has fired home six strikes in the Premier League..
Away from Delap, another summer buy in the form of Sammie Szmodics has also shown flashes of his quality up top with three strikes amassed in the league, while Omari Hutchinson, who hammered home a memorable effort versus Manchester United last month, has also looked spritely at times.
But, away from those who have shone in the attacking positions, McKenna will still feel let down by a number of his new recruits at the back, with the Tractor Boys now up to 32 goals conceded after Newcastle hit his leaky side for four.
He will obviously be demanding higher standards from the aforementioned Muric and O’Shea, but the Northern Irish manager will also be wanting lots more from some of the reserve figures he snapped up. That includes Ben Johnson, who did arrive with Premier League experience.
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Johnson's time at Ipswich
Playing 78 times in the top flight when on the books of his former employers West Ham United, Johnson would perhaps have been expecting more game-time in Suffolk to date.
After all, McKenna had waxed lyrical about the 24-year-old when he put pen to paper on a free transfer to Portman Road, stating that the ex-Hammers man was an “excellent” addition to the Ipswich ranks after promotion glory.
“Ben is a player who fits the profile we like to bring to the Club. He is a young and talented defender with good technical quality, as well as excellent physical attributes. Ben also has a good amount of Premier League experience for his age and he is hungry to take the next step in his career. We feel this is a good move for him and he is an excellent addition for the club.”
But, it’s been a stop-start spell for Johnson ever since leaving Julen Lopetegui’s outfit behind, with only five starts coming his way in the league despite Ipswich’s frailties at the back and his past knowledge of the tricky division.
The door could open for more starts for Johnson though when you consider Harry Clarke’s atrocious afternoon up against Newcastle, which saw the below-par full-back give up possession 13 times as a shaky option defensively.
Games played
6
9
Games started
4
5
Goals scored
0
0
Assists
0
1
Touches*
45.8
35.6
Accurate passes*
28.0 (82%)
13.6 (77%)
Ball recoveries*
2.8
2.1
Total duels won*
2.8
4.0
Despite amassing fewer touches on average than his defensive counterpart this season, Johnson boasts an assist next to his name unlike Clarke, alongside showing off grit in his game that could be key for the Tractor Boys in their fight against the drop, with four duels won on average per Premier League contest.
But, McKenna will want more from Johnson if he is put into the first team soon, considering he was also once labelled as “fabulous” by one of his former West Ham managers David Moyes when he was a consistent performer at the London Stadium.
If he doesn’t successfully manage to fit in at Portman Road after all, the £30k-per-week defender will simply just be seen as an unmemorable pick-up, with Ipswich left to wonder why a signing that was so praised when he arrived never fully settled. Indeed, unless he finds form and establishes himself in the side, they will be wondering why they brought him in.
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