Ashton acknowledges that one of the key lessons from their previous Premier League campaign was the need to bring in more athletic players “with a different set of physical attributes”.
The midfield lacked power and ball-winning ability in 2024-25, and it is imperative that new arrivals Florentino Luis and Sasa Lukic – both experienced at the highest level – hit the ground running. That will be especially important with last season’s mainstays Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor doubtful for the opening game following operations over the summer.
It is no surprise that O’Neil is also seeking greater cutting edge given that no Ipswich player scored more than 10 non-penalty goals in the Championship last season.
The Blues broke their transfer record to sign Brazilian striker Emersonn, 22, for an initial £24m. He certainly fits the desired physical profile but is relatively raw, having only established himself as a regular last season at Toulouse, where he scored seven goals in 31 appearances, 22 of them starts.
Maeda, a hardworking forward or winger, had an excellent record at Celtic, netting 79 times in 212 games, but won’t get the same volume of chances in a team battling to stay up.
The Suffolk side have also recruited two Dutch goalkeepers, including Kjell Scherpen, whose imposing 6ft 9in (2.06m) frame means he is set to become the tallest player to appear in the Premier League.
With a new manager in place and a £30m training ground redevelopment close to completion, this could be a defining summer for Ipswich. But will their transfer business be enough to secure successive top-flight campaigns for the first time in a quarter of a century?
Only three promoted clubs have splashed out more in a summer window – Sunderland in 2025, Nottingham Forest in 2022 and Aston Villa in 2019 – and all survived.
Yet Fulham, Southampton, Burnley and Ipswich themselves have spent comparable figures in recent years only to swiftly return to the Championship – with that level of investment increasingly the bare minimum needed to be competitive rather than a guarantee of safety.
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