Premier League boss delivers update on future of Stoke City goal hero

Despite approving Ali Al-Hamadi’s January transfer to Stoke City, Kieran McKenna maintains that he still has a future at Ipswich Town. Al-Hamadi, who scored on his debut last week after taking over Tom Cannon’s number nine shirt—who had scored 11 goals on loan before being called up by Leicester City earlier this month and subsequently transferred to Sheffield United—has joined Stoke on loan for the remainder of the season.

Al-Hamadi joined Ipswich from AFC Wimbledon a year ago and helped the team win promotion to the Premier League. However, he has only been used as a substitute in the top division, where Liam Delap, Sammie Szmodics, and George Hirst, who is back to full fitness, have been his main rivals for playing time.

Harry Clarke, a former Stoke loan defender, has also been allowed to join the promotion-chasing Blades on loan by McKenna, but he has made it clear that he will be closely monitoring both players’ development before their expected preseason returns to Portman Road. “They are good opportunities for them,” he told the East Anglian Daily Times. They are guys with a future at the club who have performed well here.

However, we constantly strive to strike the ideal balance between ensuring that the team has adequate coverage and competition without being overly competitive and allowing players to advance in their careers, both for their own goals and aspirations and for the football club to continue building its assets.

We believe that both of those lads should take advantage of this chance to go play. Since they are both very young, we will naturally stay in touch with them and closely monitor them. I hope they have a successful second half of the Championship season. Al-Hamadi, 22, has a deal with Ipswich that runs through 2028.

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