Ashton says a major takeaway from their last Premier League season is the need to recruit greater athleticism and a broader range of physical profiles.
The midfield lacked strength and ball-winning presence in 2024-25, so it’s vital that newcomers Florentino Luis and Sasa Lukic – both tested at the top level – make an immediate impact. That urgency is heightened with last season’s regulars Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor doubtful for the opener after summer surgeries.
It’s also no surprise O’Neil wants more cutting edge, given no Ipswich player managed more than 10 non-penalty goals in the Championship last season.
The Blues smashed their transfer record to land Brazilian striker Emersonn, 22, for an initial £24m. He ticks the physical boxes but remains relatively raw, having only nailed down a regular spot last season at Toulouse, where he scored seven times in 31 appearances, 22 of them starts.
Maeda, an industrious forward or winger, was prolific at Celtic with 79 goals in 212 matches, but he won’t see the same volume of chances in a side fighting to stay up.
Ipswich have also added two Dutch goalkeepers, including Kjell Scherpen, whose towering 6ft 9in (2.06m) frame would make him the tallest player ever to feature in the Premier League.
With a new manager in place and a £30m training-ground revamp nearing completion, this could be a pivotal summer for Ipswich. The question is whether their recruitment will be enough to secure back-to-back top-flight seasons for the first time in 25 years.
Only three promoted clubs have spent more in a single summer window – Sunderland in 2025, Nottingham Forest in 2022 and Aston Villa in 2019 – and all stayed up.
Yet Fulham, Southampton, Burnley and Ipswich have spent similar sums in recent years only to drop straight back to the Championship – a sign that this level of outlay is increasingly just the baseline to compete, not a guarantee of safety.