Ipswich struck gold on “scintillating” star whose value has soared 728%

In fact, as their fans will attest, it’s this determination and drive to win that has seen them fly up the leagues in recent years, an ascent that has also seen a number of their players see their valuations soar.

Ipswich’s rapid rise

Ipswich would have just begun their fourth consecutive season in League One two years ago. The previous season, after appointing McKenna midway through the season, saw the team finish down in 11th place. This may seem ludicrous to some.

In contrast to the previous year, though, the Blues would storm the league in the Northern Irishman’s first full season in command, finishing in second position and earning automatic promotion back to the Championship, where they had played for the majority of the previous 20 years.

The club was expected to be competitive in the second division, and the Guardian even predicted that they may make it to the play-offs, but very few, if any, commentators believe that they will advance.

Over the course of the campaign, McKenna’s side were simply spectacular, winning 28 games, scoring 92 goals and ending on 96 points, which was just one behind champions Leicester City.

In all, the last two years have been sensational for Ipswich, and while they bought in some exciting talents over the summer, they can still rely on the players who have been with them since League One, including one whose valuation has skyrocketed in the last two seasons.

Conor Chaplin’s valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is the talented attacker Conor Chaplin, who joined the club from Barnsley in July 2021 for an undisclosed fee that has since been revealed to be just £750k.

Since then, the 27-year-old has shown to be an incredible value for the money; even if he isn’t the squad’s most well-known player, he has been a valuable member of the team and has contributed significantly to both promotions.

For instance, in 52 appearances across all competitions during the team’s final League One season, the “scintillating” star—dubbed so by EFL analyst Don Goodman—scored goals 29 times and contributed five assists.

The Worthing native continued his incredible play last season, netting nine goals and dishing out nine assists in 47 games. This meant that, throughout the course of the two promotion-winning campaigns, the former Barnsley poacher averaged a goal every 1.76 games.

Unsurprisingly, such an unreal run of form has seen his valuation explode, and according to Transfermarkt, he is now worth €7m, which converts to about £5.8m or a massive 673% increase on the fee he cost the club.

In the end, Ipswich has had an amazing couple of years, and while the back-to-back promotions are unquestionably the main story, it’s wonderful to see the players who have been with the team since the beginning receive the credit they deserve.

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