Ipswich Town

Seb Brown
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Four senior additions arrived in the January window and brought with them a mixture of Premier League experience, physicality, potential, attacking flair and, hopefully, stability.

Ben Godfrey was the first through the door. A tally of more than 100 Premier League appearances instantly makes him the most experienced member of the squad and his physicality, pace and versatility should make him a useful addition.

Jaden Philogene and Julio Enciso bring flair, creativity, goals and assists - all areas Ipswich have been lacking in so far this campaign.

Philogene was a summer target so how he will fit into our style and patterns of play has clearly been well researched. Enciso already has an assist and showed enough attacking intent in the number 10 role to suggest he can make a difference.

Finally, Alex Palmer joined on deadline day from West Bromwich Albion. Arijanet Muric was signed last summer to be the number one but has made the most errors leading to goals in the league. His performance against Southampton, when he was at fault for both goals, appears to have been the tipping point, as has an injury to Christian Walton.

If Palmer can bring stability, consistency and calmness to the defence, then his last-minute arrival could prove the most important in Ipswich's bid to beat the drop.

The window could be described as solid, not spectacular. The lack of a new striker to compete with Liam Delap is a concern and fans are now reliant on George Hirst remaining fit until May.

Staying in the Premier League was always going to be a tough task given how quickly Ipswich have progressed over the past two years.

If the worst is to happen and relegation occurs, then some of these acquisitions will put the club in a great position to mount an immediate return.

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

Ipswich have signed defender Somto Boniface from Chelsea.

The 18-year-old left-back came through the youth system at Stamford Bridge and featured twice for Chelsea Under-21s in the EFL Trophy earlier this season.

He has also represented England at several age-group levels and will join the under-21s set-up at Ipswich.

Ipswich Town have signed West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

The 28-year-old had a medical at Portman Road before the transfer deadline and will leave The Hawthorns having come through the club's academy.

The total amount Ipswich are paying is reportedly up to £5m.

Palmer has made 104 appearances for West Brom, who are sixth in the Championship, with them opting to sell him as they believe they have a strong succession plan in Josh Griffiths, Joe Wildsmith and England Under-19s keeper Ben Cisse.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Ipswich are poised to sign West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

The 28-year-old is due for a medical at Portman Road before the transfer deadline and will leave The Hawthorns having come through the academy.

The total amount Ipswich are paying has been reported as being up to £5m, although various sources are disputing the exact fee.

Palmer has made 104 appearances for West Brom, who are sixth in the Championship, with the Baggies opting to sell him as they believe they have a strong succession plan in Josh Griffiths, Joe Wildsmith and England Under-19 international Ben Cisse.

The Tractor Boys have no plans on moving other goalkeepers out, with Palmer coming in as Christian Walton is sidelined for a number of weeks with a groin injury.

We asked you what would ensure you are satisfied this deadline day.

Here are some of your comments:

James: Get a better goalkeeper than Arijanet Muric on loan as cover until Christian Walton is fit again. Another striker on loan would be a bonus too.

James: A striker to share the burden with Liam Delap and a keeper now that Walton is injured. Muric does not look Premier League level and is a mistake waiting to happen. It is enough of a struggle in this league without throwing an error-prone keeper into the mix.

Andy: Central midfielder, a forward and goalkeeper. Thomas Kaminski [Luton], James Trafford [Burnley] or Michael Cooper [Sheffield United] recruited in goal and offload Muric, but it's probably unlikely. Ben Sheaf [Coventry City] and Emmanual Latte Lath [Middlesbrough] in midfield and up front would be great signings.

Kevin: Frankly, we probably need a miracle to stay up now. But with Walton injured and Muric now a nervous wreck, we need another keeper. We also need a third striker and a box-to-box midfielder.

Paul: We need a new goalkeeper and a strong central midfielder to link to the forwards. Sadly that is unlikely in the January window and given Kieran McKenna's misguided loyalty to Muric.

Michael: Time to plan for next year as well as fight relegation. Goalkeeper on loan, a central midfielder with pace and a striker as Delap will leave in the summer.

It's the last day of the winter transfer window and Premier League clubs have until 23:00 GMT to complete their business.

We'll bring you all the news, views, twists and turns as the clock ticks down to deadline.

Follow it all here

Manchester United have entered the race to sign Ipswich striker Liam Delap, who has also been linked with a move to Tottenham. (Express, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full deadline day gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Sam Ashoo
Final Score reporter

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You never want to single out a goalkeeper for a performance but when Arijanet Muric watches this one back against Southampton, I think he'll be really disappointed.

He would have hoped to have done much better for Joe Aribo's first-half scuffed strike and his parry in the second half gave Paul Onuachu a tap-in.

Muric has been a point of contention for Ipswich fans. Christian Walton was in goal for the Liverpool game and if they are going to mount any form of survival challenge you would think they need him back at the earliest opportunity.

Let's be realistic.

Instead of setting sights high only for dreams to get dashed, we want to know what the minimum requirement is for Ipswich on deadline day.

Be as specific as possible and tell us what will ensure you are satisfied come 23:00 GMT on Monday.

Let us know

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Ipswich Town and Southampton.

Here are some of your comments:

Ipswich fans

Dave: Simply not good enough. Muric has shown that he is not up to the required standard yet again. We can't score enough goals and then defend well enough to hold on, plus we no longer have the impact players on the bench to grab late goals. We are now staring down the barrel and it will take a minor miracle to save us from the drop.

Jon: It's a shame to see how we approach games. We had to go for the jugular but we have lost our way. We have the players to win games, but they are trying to be heroes. There is no connection running through them and we are too slow. We can't beat the worst team in the league at home, and Saints looked awful. That says it all. We must do much better.

Trevor: Absolute rubbish. Hugely disappointed. That's my weekend ruined.

Andy: It was always going to be a close game but being on the wrong side of it makes me feel, and probably the rest of the fanbase feel, that relegation is more likely than not. I'm still very much behind McKenna, but bringing Muric back into the starting line-up seemed destined to lead to mistakes. A costly choice.

Derek: If McKenna is so great, why do we still have no goalkeeper? Muric has lost us at least 12 points this season.

Southampton fans

John: Great win. The fans were amazing, as always. One more win to get the dreaded 'Derby record' tag away from us. The manager has definitely got the players performing well, so it is really pleasing for him to get his first win.

Bill: We did well, away from home with two new players. Our central defence is worrying, but we came through. Still a long way to go. Bournemouth blow hot and cold, so we might surprise them. The fans were great.

Steve: If we are going to do anything for the rest of the season, we need to have our best players on the pitch as much as possible. Unfortunately, I don't feel he knows who they are yet. This result was very welcome, but I don't think it changes anything.

Kenny: The spine we thought to be key to our starting XI is in fact... the problem. Stephens, Downes, Armstrong. Juric is no fool, it's not all about him. He looks up for this.

Watch highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 0-2 Liverpool

• Wolves 2-0 Aston Villa

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich's first league defeat to Southampton since August 2011 could not have come at a more untimely moment.

Kieran McKenna's side were briefly threatening to move out of the relegation zone after Liam Delap equalised.

Instead they remain 19th in the Premier League table, with goals and points in short supply over recent weeks.

The visit of the bottom club was supposed to be the big opportunity to press reset and get back on track in their bid to preserve their top-flight status.

But it proved another disappointing day for Ipswich, who have now shipped 14 goals in four matches.

While the hosts controlled possession and carved out the best opportunities, aside from Delap, they appear to have too few players capable adding a clinical touch to their neat and enterprising build-up play.

The England Under-21 forward has scored 41% of the Tractor Boys goals in the top flight this term but unless McKenna can find another effective source of goals, Ipswich will find it difficult to climb to safety.

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the defeat: "No doubt it is a bad result for us. It was a poor way to lose the game. We were the better team, had the better chances, should have been ahead, should have killed the game but didn't. Then we lost it to a poor late goal from our point of view.

"I don't think a point would have felt too much better today, to be honest. We should have been well clear in the first half, we come in level in the game and we go behind from a really good start. A point wouldn't have felt great today and a defeat definitely doesn't."

On what was missing in the second half: "We didn't manage to break down their man-to-man pressure. We didn't sustain the pressure. It's an opportunity missed. Another home game that we have lost late and we have had too many of those.

"We had the better of the game, the better performance, but we didn't take the win. There's a lot of football to play and it's a sore one to take, but we need to make sure that we keep performing well. We need to work hard, respond in the right way and try to get stronger."

On whether the goals his side conceded were soft: "They were. The first goal is a goal kick and it is probably the first time that they entered our box and it should be saved as well. Two poor goals."

On whether there will be more transfer activity before the window closes: "No, I don't think so. My feeling is that there probably won't be. We are still going to try for sure to improve the squad, but I don't think anything will happen."

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich suffered their first league defeat against Southampton since a 5-2 loss at Portman Road in the Championship in August 2011, having come into this meeting unbeaten in their last four games against the Saints.

Liam Delap has scored 41% of Ipswich's Premier League goals this season (9 out of 22), with only Chris Wood (43%) netting a higher share of his side's goals in the competition this term.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Ipswich's performance

What did you make of Southampton's display?

Come back to this page on Sunday evening to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Nottingham Forest v Brighton (12:30)

• AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Leicester City

• Ipswich Town v Southampton

• Newcastle v Fulham

• Wolves v Aston Villa (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here.

Southampton's fight is not about whether they can stay up, it is whether they can avoid being the worst Premier League team of all time and beat Derby County's total of 11 points from 2007-08.

Ipswich are still battling to avoid relegation, but I am worried about them in this game.

I am not sure whether to go with my heart or my head - well, when I say my heart I am actually thinking of my daughter's teacher, Mr Fields, who is an Ipswich fan.

If they lose this, it would be very damaging for their hopes of surviving. I'd go so far as saying I'd be buying a white flag of surrender for Mr Fields to wave whenever he sees me when I drop my daughter off at school.

These two sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season, when a 95th-minute Sam Morsy goal denied Saints the win.

I don't think Ipswich will keep a clean sheet this time, either, but I am backing Liam Delap to come good, and help them pick up what would be a huge three points.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Southampton (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed that Wes Burns will "miss the rest of the season" after picking up an ACL injury against Liverpool last time out, stating: "He will go for surgery next week. Of course we know that's a significant period of time out. He's seeing the very best people. It's not a very complicated tear, I believe. You can never call an ACL straight forward, but it's an orthodox procedure and everyone is really positive about the prognosis."

• The injury is "a blow" for the side, but the Ipswich boss added: "We're not going to have any late panic in the transfer window. If there was a player who can look to improve us then we will do so, but we are not going to add numbers just for the sake of cover."

• McKenna said he has "never labelled a game" as must-win, adding: "You understand it because terminology around must-win is different, but that implies it is something that the game isn't. Of course we are playing another team down towards the bottom of the division and we want to and need to pick up points along the way. We are coming off the back of a couple of difficult games and this is a home game and and opportunity for us to go and try and win."

• He added: "The opposition will see it as one of their better opportunities too and whichever way it goes, there is still going to be a lot of games and will be really tight at the bottom. It won't be set one way or the other."

• McKenna said it is "natural" there is more "expectation" on this game, but that fans "understand" the situation. He added: "The teams who were first, second and fourth in the Championship last year are now 20th, 19th and 17th in the Premier League. Whether at top or bottom, it is about taking care of details, focusing on performance and giving everything to go for the result. I think fans will understand and be right behind us."

• On if he feels they have done enough business this transfer window: "I don't think you ever feel like you have done enough. We have tried to improve the squad. The three players brought in, I feel like they have improved the squad. Jaden [Philogene] can have a long-term impact. The other two have more experience and can help the squad now. We want the squad to be as strong as possible. In an ideal world there could have been one or two more but it is a difficult window."

• On temptation to play Julio Enciso from the start: "Julio is ready to go in terms of minutes played this season. He trained really well. He has been really positive around the training ground this week and everyone is really enjoying him being here, so he is ready to make and impact tomorrow with whatever minutes he gets."

Catch up on all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Ipswich defender Luke Woolfenden has said he is "so pleased" to have signed a new contract with the club. The 26-year-old has committed to the club until the summer of 2027.

A product of the Ipswich academy, the centre-back has played 10 times this season and made more than 200 appearances for the club.

"I'm proud of what I have achieved at the club and I'm so pleased to have signed a new deal," he told TownTV. "The last two years have been amazing.

"I'm just loving every minute."