New Blues keeper Aro Muric believes the way he plays football suits Town’s approach to the game under manager Kieran McKenna.
Muric’s move from Burnley, for a fee understood to be an initial £8 million plus a further £2 million in top-ups, was confirmed at lunchtime.
The 25-year-old becomes the club’s most expensive goalkeeper, taking over from Matteo Sereni, who was signed for £4.8 million from Sampdoria in the summer of 2001.
"I’m very glad to get the move done and looking forward to the new season,” the Kosovo international told TownTV.
"I was open for talks because I saw Ipswich last season and I was really impressed. That was the most interesting thing for me, the way they play, it suits me.”
He says he’s known his new boss McKenna for some time, the pair having crossed paths early in his career before he joined Manchester City’s youth set-up.
"I know him for a long time because I had a trial at [Manchester] United when he was the manager of the U18s,” the keeper recalled.
"And all through my academy [years] I played a few times [against United], so I think football-wise he knows me a little bit and we had a great talk together and I’m looking forward to the next years.
"He knows me very well, the way I play and I know the way he plays and the team plays.”
Muric recalls being impressed by the Blues when Burnley, then on their way to the Championship title, beat them in the FA Cup after a replay in January 2023, although he watched those matches from the sidelines.
He says the playing-out-from-the-back approach which has become familiar to Town fans over the last few seasons is right up his street.
"It suits me,” he said. "As well as watching them [last season], we played against them in the cup a year ago, so I was already impressed.
"When we played them in the cup, we had talks and me and my old teammates were thinking that Ipswich would go into the Prem straight away, in a year, that they’re going to be up there, so I’m not surprised.”
Having signed a four-year deal, Muric is now off to the Blues’ training camp in Austria and is likely to make his first appearance for the club in one of Saturday’s two one-hour friendlies against Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk.
"I will fly to Austria and meet my new teammates, the coaches and get to know everyone and get started with the season.”