Ipswich Town kicks off its 2026-27 Premier League season this Saturday, welcoming Sunderland at Portman Road.
This summer has been eventful both on and off the pitch for the Tractor Boys, especially following Gary O’Neil’s appointment as Kieran McKenna’s successor, which spurred a flurry of transfer activity.
Survival remains the primary objective, and after witnessing both Sunderland and Leeds secure their top-flight status last season, there’s newfound optimism within the club regarding staying up.
All three teams promoted to the Premier League have been proactive in the transfer market this summer, striving to close the gap with established Premier League teams.
While spending significant sums does not guarantee survival, Ipswich and Coventry City have already invested over £100m, with less than two weeks left in the transfer window.
So far this summer, Town has brought in 12 new players, spending approximately £150m.
They matched this spending two seasons ago when they earned promotion to the Premier League under McKenna, but their recruitment strategy has evolved significantly since then.
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Ipswich’s recruitment approach now extends well beyond English leagues. Notably, Emersonn marks the club’s first signing from Brazil, Sasa Lukic is their inaugural player from Serbia, and Daizen Maeda is their first Japanese recruit.
Last summer, Sunderland adopted a similar strategy, spending a record £161m on 15 new players, which led to a comprehensive squad overhaul managed by Regis Le Bris.
Nick Barnes, BBC Radio Newcastle’s commentator for Sunderland, noted: “They successfully identified largely unknown players from Europe and South America, acquiring them for an average of around €20 million, betting on their ability to identify talents that will appreciate in value.”
Players like Brian Brobbey, Noah Sadiki, and Robin Roefs exemplify the success of this approach with their impressive performances last season.
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While Ipswich has tapped into European talent with the acquisition of striker Emersonn and goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen, they have also secured four players with experience in the Premier League.
Lukic joins along with Issa Diop, who collectively boast over 250 appearances in the top flight, accompanied by Florentino Luis, who made 31 appearances last season for Burnley and former Brighton midfielder Julio Enciso.
Encisco returns to Portman Road on a permanent deal, just 18 months after his last stint, now as the club’s record signing alongside midfielder Abdoul Ouattara from French club Strasbourg.
The reported combined fee for these two players could total up to £47.3m, both having previously played under O’Neil in France.
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With just over ten days remaining in the transfer window, Ipswich is positioned to potentially surpass Sunderland’s record spending from last summer with a similar number of signings.
Check back here later today to see how Ipswich’s transfer activity measures up against that of Leeds United last summer.