Leif Davis has revealed he has ambitions of captaining Town in the future after signing a new contract at Portman Road last week.
Since his arrival during manager Kieran McKenna’s first summer transfer window in 2022, Davis has been virtually an ever-present figure through two promotions and a season in the Premier League.
Having played 138 times for the Blues, scoring six times, the 25-year-old is one of the longest-serving players at the club and has become a fans’ favourite throughout his time in Suffolk.
The left-back has previously spoken about growing into one of the leaders on the pitch while playing alongside captains Sam Morsy and Dara O’Shea.
Davis now says it would be a dream to skipper Town himself, even if it was to happen just once in his career with the Blues.
"One hundred per cent,” he said. "Everyone should be a leader out on the pitch, but that is my goal to hopefully wear the armband one time or whenever I get the opportunity to wear the armband for this club.
"When you’re on that pitch, everyone should be a leader and doing everything they can to encourage everyone on the pitch.”
It was only in October last year that Davis signed his previous contract, which still had two and a half years left to run, but the Geordie penned new terms with the club on Friday.
His new deal extends his stay to the summer of 2029, and the former Leeds United man was in no doubt about his decision to accept chairman Mark Ashton’s proposal when it was offered.
He said: "I was delighted to sign it. I've said a lot of times that I love this club and I'm so committed to being here. When Mark spoke to me, it was a no-brainer.
"I was fully committed with my future here and now it’s done I can just focus on my football for the rest of the season.
"The offer was on the table so there was no reason for me to leave anyway. There was no reason for me to switch up and go anywhere else.
"I’m happy that I told Mark at the start of the season when there were rumours that were going around, I said I'm fully committed to being here and my full aims are to get this team back to the Premier League and that’s what I want to do.
"They offered me the contract and I couldn’t turn it down, I was delighted when that happened.
"I'm learning every day, and that’s the whole process of football. You’ve got to learn new parts of the game and learn other stuff in the game. I'm really enjoying my time here.”
Another big factor in Davis’s decision to commit his future was the influence of manager McKenna, who has continued to help nurture him into the swashbuckling full-back he is today.
"Since I came to the club, he was on me straight away with stuff that I need to learn,” Davis said. "Telling me what I do well, but most importantly everything that I need to work on, which was my defensive area of the game when I came and decision-making when I'm on the ball, not just rushing the ball out of my feet.
"He knows I’ve got the quality with my left foot and taking that into my right foot as well, trying to get more positioning off the right foot and taking it with my right.
"He had a massive part in it, the trust that he’s had in me over the last three years. Not just him but Mark and all the other stuff, having the trust in me to give me them deals that they’ve been offering. It was a no-brainer to stay and carry on the legacy.”
Davis still has the hunger to play at the highest level following his first taste of regular top-flight football as the Blues were immediately relegated from the Premier League last season.
Alongside his club ambitions, he still dreams of playing for England and was pleased for the recent success of some of his teammates on the international stage.
Last week, George Hirst’s Scotland qualified for the World Cup while the Republic of Ireland, with O’Shea and Jack Taylor involved, dramatically kept their own hopes of making next summer’s tournament alive.
"We’re buzzing for them,” Davis said. "Especially Hirsty with the qualification with Scotland for the World Cup. I texted him straight away, I was buzzing for him and I texted Dara straight away as well. I got a reply at silly o’clock in the morning and it’s time for them to enjoy it.
"I want to be playing at the highest level possible and do everything I can right to rest and recover in between games when they’re coming thick and fast to perform at my top level and do everything I can to get to that top level.”
Asked if he had any Irish or Scottish ancestry, he quipped: "Not that I know of, I'm fully English. Hopefully one day I’d be able to represent my country.”