Left for £5m: Ipswich hit gold offloading star who’s now without a club
Every time their team enters the pitch, Ipswich Town supporters will be wiping their eyes in bewilderment as they take in the calibre of
competition facing their cherished Tractor Boys and the talents that currently comprise their squad.
Even the most optimistic Portman Road supporter could not have predicted that one day Kalvin Phillips would be wearing Ipswich
blue when the team was mired in the EFL, and West Ham’s all-star team, which included Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen,
among others, soundly defeated the unimpressive Suffolk team 4-1 last time out.
All Ipswich supporters will want to do is ride this incredible wave as long as possible in the hopes that their team can pull off a big
underdog narrative to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Even though the Suffolk team was languishing in the top division, there were still a few highly regarded players who continued to play
well even while Ipswich was constantly having bad luck.
Waghorn’s time at Ipswich
One name that will stick in your memory is Martyn Waghorn, who played for Ipswich for just one season but undoubtedly made a
lasting effect on the Tractor Boys fan base.
Waghorn excelled in the 2017–18 Championship season, even if Ipswich finished in a mediocre 12th place. The now 34-year-old
sharpshooter helped himself to an absurd 16 goals and 13 assists from 46 games.
Naturally, such exploits would pique the interest of other parties eager to hire the lethal striker, including Frank Lampard’s Derby
County, who would sign the ‘proven goalscorer’—as Paul Lambert dubbed him—for a whooping £5 million in the summer of 2018.
The former Leicester City player was only acquired by Ipswich for £1 million the year prior, so they shouldn’t have been too
discouraged by the amount of money the Rams managed to raise despite losing their primary offensive focal point
However, as much as Waghorn just had the midas touch in front of goal pulling on an Ipswich strip, he has battled since his golden
period at Portman Road to ever replicate that same enchantment, with the veteran attacker currently without a club during the
twilight of his playing days..
Waghorn’s career after Ipswich
Waghorn’s goals haven’t always flowed after leaving Suffolk, with only two scores in 42 appearances while at Coventry City, one of his
lowest points since his amazing period with the Tractor Boys.
| Waghorn’s goal record since leaving Ipswich | ||
|---|---|---|
| Club played for | Games played | Goals scored |
| Derby | 150 | 37 |
| Coventry | 42 | 2 |
| Huddersfield Town | 13 | 1 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | ||
Nonetheless, he will remain hopeful that a club will be enticed to take a chance on him as a free agent in the future, despite the fact
that his goals have largely dried up following a hectic season with Ipswich.
Despite contributing to Paul Warne’s promotion to the Championship with seven goals in 24 appearances during his second season at
Pride Park, he did not receive a new contract.
In truth, the former Tractor Boys number nine must reflect on his time at Portman Road with both grief and joy, wondering if he could
have contributed to the club’s progress if he had stayed following his brilliant 17/18 season.
However, Ipswich would not have complained about the £5 million that wound up in their bank at the time, with the money
presumably spent on laying the groundwork for a team that eventually achieved the unimaginable feat of consecutive promotions.
The question now is whether Kieran McKenna’s players can earn a position at the elite table in the future.
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