These days, there are many issues with transfer windows, such as the growing effects of global ownership groups and skyrocketing agent fees, but those discussions are for another time. Determining whether the work done was truly worthwhile is perhaps the biggest issue facing the majority of fans right now. There are always ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of every window, but it can take weeks, even months and years, for all those deals to bear fruit, even when it turns out to be rotten.
Still, supporters understandably want immediate insight into whether their team’s chances have been improved by their new signings, especially when the stakes are high – fortunately, there are times when a team’s work is, on paper at least, plainly intelligent or wrong-headed. We’ve already raised our eyebrow at the decisions made by our shout for the biggest ‘loser’ of the January transfer window, so it’s only fair to praise the work done by the team we think made the smartest moves. That just happens to be Ipswich Town.
To say that this was a crucial transfer window for Kieran McKenna’s team would be a fairly significant understatement. A recent 2-1 defeat to fellow promoted side Southampton has started to take the shine off some impressive performances earlier in the season, and they face an uphill battle to extend their stay in the top flight. The squad was pretty good, for a newly-promoted team, but there were clear flaws that had to be addressed – and they were.
How Ipswich faced up to hard truths in the transfer window
For starters, they have a new goalkeeper, perhaps the biggest single purchase they could have made. Aro Muric started the season as first choice but was responsible for a string of costly ricks, and Christian Walton, who replaced him, has a patchy track record as a starter – so the deadline-day signing of Alex Palmer from West Brom could be a huge boost.
Palmer has never played in the Premier League, but his record in the second tier is highly impressive, and he won the Championship Golden Glove award for the 2023/24 season after keeping 18 clean sheets. He’s solid against the high ball, comfortable operating outside of his area and a strong shot stopper – for a fee of around £4m, Ipswich have likely upgraded their team in a key position without breaking the bank.
The fact that the Tractor Boys seem to have avoided getting themselves stuck in denial about their weaknesses could be crucial. Other teams seem determined not to make hard decisions – just look at Arsenal’s half-hearted attempts to sign a new striker – but Ipswich have assessed an issue and made an attempt to fix it.
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