Nottingham Forest are expected to offload English midfielder Lewis O'Brien this summer, with Ipswich Town, Preston North End and Sheffield United interested in the 25-year-old. (Northamptonshire Live), external
Graeme McLoughlin
BBC Radio Suffolk
Image source, Getty ImagesBen Johnson is the new face. He made more than 100 senior appearances for West Ham and he was part of their squad that won the Europa Conference League.
Johnson wasn't deemed surplus to requirements - I understand several at West Ham were keen on keeping him - but there were no guarantees of regular first-team football, and you can imagine he will get that here. It will be exciting to see how he develops under Kieran McKenna.
Vaclav Hladky is leaving the club - he has been the subject of plenty of interest elsewhere. He had made it clear that staying at Ipswich Town was his preferred option, but he told the media that talks over a new deal with Ipswich had stalled and he didn't report back for day one of pre-season.
Hladky ended up starting every Championship fixture last season - and he played a big part in Town's promotion to the Premier League - so finding a goalkeeper has now become the priority. I suspect that should the club sign one, they would likely become first choice in that position as well.
Omari Hutchinson signing is wonderful news. The fee is around £20m which completely smashes Town's record transfer fee for any player, but it is actually less than I thought Hutchinson was going to cost. I thought Chelsea would try to get £25m or possibly as much as £30m for him.
Ipswich Town have done well there. The next name supporters wanted to hear in terms of a new deal at the club, following Kieran McKenna, was Omari Hutchinson. He is without doubt one of the brightest talents in this country at the moment.
The full-back gap has been addressed to an extent with the arrival of Ben Johnson, but I imagine Town will be looking at bringing in another to give Leif Davis strong competition on the left.
I would also be very surprised if at least one or two more goal threats haven't been added to the squad by the time Ipswich Town line-up to face Liverpool on the opening day of the season.
Kieffer Moore is back at his parent club Bournemouth. Kayden Jackson has left the club. Ipswich have got George Hirst, Freddie Ladapo, Ali Al-Hamadi and Gassan Ahadme on the books, but I can only see Hirst getting game time in the top-flight out of that quartet.
Image source, Getty ImagesIpswich Town will travel to Austria for a pre-season training camp on Monday, 15 July to continue their preparations for the 2024-25 Premier League season.
After two successful pre-season trips to Austria last year, which included winning the Innsbruck Cup, Kieran McKenna's side will set up a base in Carinthia this summer.
The trip will involve a week-long training programme followed by two hour-long friendlies against Shakhtar Donetsk, which will be played out at Sportzentrum Landskron on Saturday, 20 July.
We asked for your thoughts on Ipswich signing Omari Hutchinson on a permanent deal after last season's successful loan.
Here are some of your answers:
Rikki: It's great to have Hutchinson back on a permanent deal but I wonder why he cost so much when we could have more money for other signings.
Billy: There was no way after last season that we wouldn't sign him. What a player he is at the moment and what a player he is going to be. If we stay up next season, he's going to be the one to keep us up there.
Cameron: Hutchinson is genuinely one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen wearing an Ipswich shirt. This signing will create huge morale for the fans and the dressing room. I don’t think the price tag will affect him as his ability more than makes up for it. Great bit of business.
Keith: I'm very excited to have Omari at Ipswich. He's a very skilful young player who can open up defenders and also a great team player. He has improved under McKenna during his loan spell and will continue to do in this coming season.
Dave: Signing Hutchinson is the perfect start to our campaign. It’s a big boost for Town and our supporters, letting him go would’ve had the opposite effect.
Alex: With the momentum generated which undeniably got us over the line to the Premier League last year, it was paramount McKenna was able to keep as much of this tightly knit squad together as he could. That's why this Hutchinson signing was so important, and why they rightly targeted him.
Image source, Getty ImagesIpswich Town have signed defender Ben Johnson on a free transfer.
The 24-year-old, who left West Ham upon his contract expiring, has agreed a four-year deal.
Johnson made 109 appearances for the Hammers and was part of the group to win the Europa Conference League in 2023.
“Ben is a player who fits the profile we like to bring to the club,” manager Kieran McKenna told the Ipswich website.
“He is a young and talented defender with good technical quality, as well as excellent physical attributes.
“Ben also has a good amount of Premier League experience for his age and he is hungry to take the next step in his career. We feel this is a good move for him and he is an excellent addition for the club.
“Everyone who has worked with him speaks highly of his character, so we’re sure he will fit into the dressing room and our environment and culture.”
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky has left Ipswich following the expiration of his contract.
The Czech, 33, featured in every game for in last season’s promotion-winning campaign.
What are your thoughts on Ipswich's business so far? Tell us here, external
Ipswich Town have signed Chelsea forward Omari Hutchinson following a successful loan spell with the club in the Championship last season.
Hutchinson scored 10 goals and made six assists as the Tractor Boys gained promotion to the Premier League, making an impression on manager Kieran McKenna who believes the 20-year-old will have the "hunger to improve" in the top-flight.
McKenna said the club are "so pleased" to sign Hutchinson on a permanent deal, but are you excited to see the forward in action again next season?
Is this a good start to Ipswich's transfer window?
Image source, Getty ImagesManagers will always outwardly support their players on the international stage, but you can be sure one or two will privately be hoping for an early exit from Euro 2024 for a few of their star men.
International tournament summers disrupt pre-season for managers.
Various players from different nations return to their clubs at different times, sometimes with injuries, holidays get postponed and rescheduled. As a general rule, the best players are more likely to play for the best nations and therefore go further in international tournaments.
The Euro 2024 final will take place on 14 July. Over half of Premier League clubs already have a pre-season fixture scheduled within 10 days of that.
Of English clubs, unsurprisingly, Premier League champions Manchester City have comfortably the most players in the Euro 2024 knockouts. The best represented Premier League side at the start of the competition have a full line-up of 11 stars still in Germany.
They are followed by the rest of last season's top three - Arsenal and Liverpool - who have eight and seven respectively. Manchester United also have seven while Brentford - aided by their healthy Danish contingent - have six and Crystal Palace five.
Championship play-off winners Southampton's three representatives were all eliminated at the group stage, while fellow newly promoted side Ipswich have not seen their summer impacted at all by players at Euro 2024.
Of the Championship-winning Leicester squad, goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and defenders Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard remain in Germany - as does Turkey's Yunus Akgun, who spent last season on loan with the Foxes.
This data was provided by Opta and counts the clubs where players finished at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, PA MediaIpswich Town have opened talks to sign Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson on a permanent deal.
The 20-year-old is free to leave Stamford Bridge and is keen to return to Portman Road.
Hutchinson got 10 goals and six assists in 44 appearances and built a good relationship with manager Kieran McKenna while achieving promotion from the Championship on loan at Ipswich.
The former Arsenal academy player, who has made two appearances for Chelsea, was considered one of Ipswich's main targets upon achieving promotion to the Premier League.
As first revealed by BBC Sport, Chelsea exercised an option in Hutchinson's deal to extend his contract until 2026 in May, helping to increase their leverage in securing a good fee.
Image source, ReutersWe asked for your views on which Euros player would be a good fit for Ipswich.
Here are a few of your suggestions:
Sonny: This transfer window is going to have to be handled very carefully as we have little money and little time. I think that Georges Mikautadze would be a dream signing given how good he has been so far. Although he would blow our budget off the roof, I believe he would be worth it.
Miles: Alexander Prass for Austria. A left-footed central midfielder and as he showed against the Netherlands he can play left-back as cover for Davis. Looked like a McKenna type player; tidy, hungry and athletic.
Glenn: We're not going to break the bank to sign anyone from the top teams, unlikely they would come to a newly-promoted side. What the Euros shows is there are a lot of lower-ranked teams with talented players. Yazici, the Turkey midfielder, is available on a free which would give us another option in the final third. Schmeichel available on a free as well!
Rich: Shaqiri would provide additional quality as well as grit. Few goals wouldn't go amiss.
Adam: Livakovic from Croatia.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Radio Suffolk's Tractor Social podcast have been answering questions and looking at how Kieran McKenna's squad is shaping up before Ipswich's Premier League return.
Attacking midfielder Conor Chaplin has been a topic of conversation, with the panel excited to see how he adapts to the top flight.
The 27-year-old registered 13 goals and nine assists during the Championship promotion campaign but will experience the Premier League for the first time.
"If he plays the majority of the games, I can see him scoring 10 or more goals," said sports editor Graeme McLoughlin. "I think he'll come close - I'll back him to do it.
"I'm really excited to see him in the Premier League."
Connor Bennett added: "I think Conor Chaplin is going to have an outstanding season. I definitely think he'll be Town's top goalscorer.
"He was miles clear in League One, two steps ahead of a lot of defenders. Going into the Championship the defenders are one step closer to him and more physical. Yes, the defenders will improve in the Premier League but I think he's going to have so much more space to operate in and he's an unknown quantity.
"I expect him to explode - I really do."
In this week's episode, BBC Radio Suffolk's Tractor Social examines transfer links to Ben Johnson and Jacob Greaves and considers what next if Vaclav Hladky leaves Portman Road this summer.
Ipswich Town are in talks with Hull City over a deal for 23-year-old English defender Jacob Greaves. (Athletic - subscription required), external
As the Euros group stage comes to a close, how's your scouting report gone?
Who has caught your eye as a perfect signing for Ipswich Town?
And how would they fit into Kieran McKenna's starting XI?
Ipswich Town are in advanced talks with 24-year-old West Ham United defender Ben Johnson over a free transfer when his contract expires next week. (East Anglian Daily Times), external
Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, ReutersBBC Radio Suffolk's Tractor Social podcast assessed Ipswich Town's Premier League fixture schedule, with the first two matches of the season against probable title contenders Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City.
Connor Bennett said: "Immediately when I saw the fixture list I was like 'yikes', but the more you think about it, I think the script writes itself.
"It's Arne Slot's first game [as Liverpool manager] and the players are going to be coming back late from international duty, and a massive party atmosphere at Portman Road.
"When Brentford came up and battered Arsenal on the opening day [in August 2021], it was crazy. It's going to be like that, I can really see it. I'm more confident now I've had 24 hours to think about it that we can get a result. Manchester City, very much less so!"
Graeme McLoughlin added: "All of the predictions from people outside of Suffolk will be that they get zero points from those first two games. If you can get one point from one of those games, that's a bonus.
"Is it good to get them out of the way? Given Liverpool's transition, there are worse times to play them through the season. Other than playing them off the back of a long trip away in Europe, I think it's the best time."
Listen to their thoughts on the rest of the fixtures and more on BBC Sounds
The fixtures for the new Premier League season are out and we asked you for your predictions on where Ipswich Town will be after 10 games.
Here is a selection of your comments:
James: It will be a tough start no doubt, but this Ipswich side specialise in defying expectations. Realistically, they can get 10 or more points out of the first 10 games, but it wouldn't shock me if they got above 15.
Shaun: After 10 games, we will have 16 points and be mid-to-lower table. Overall, we have some great games to look forward to and some where we should be definitely looking for the three points. Exciting times.
James: Being overly optimistic, we could maybe fetch 10 points and be sitting just outside relegation. Realistically, we get one point from a 97th-minute equaliser against Leicester and sit comfortably at the bottom.
Dave: It's hard to say where we'll be after 10 games without knowing the new and improved squad, which is completely dependent on how much McKenna is allowed to spend and how new players settle in. I'm sure we won't have a repeat of our last promotion, finishing fifth, but 14th-16th is a realistic target. It's a very different world since our last visit!
Adam: Being honest, I think we will be 10th.
The latest episode of BBC Radio Suffolk's Tractor Social podcast is now available on BBC Sounds.
Graeme McLoughlin and Connor Bennett react to Ipswich's recently announced Premier League fixtures list.
First up is Liverpool at home and they discuss memories of playing the Reds in their most recent Premier League game in 2002.
Listen to the full episode here
Image source, Getty ImagesIpswich Town will get their first Premier League campaign for more than 20 years under way at home to Liverpool on Saturday, 17 August.
It is a tough start for The Tractor Boys, but they are unbeaten in their opening league match of the campaign in each of the past 10 seasons (W6 D4) since losing 2-1 to Reading in the Championship in 2013-14.
Kieran McKenna's side will be hoping to fare better than the club's most recent match in the top flight, which was a 5-0 defeat by the Reds at Anfield in May 2002.
Now the fixtures for the new Premier League season are out, it is time to start looking ahead to your club's 2024-25 campaign and all the key matches.
So, where do you think Ipswich will be after the first 10 games?
