| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him 08:56 - May 16 with 931 views | DecageBruce |
Tongue in cheek chat this morning while waiting on kids to get ready to go out. Obvs ignore the NB sale and prob replace with a few others.
‘With £150,000,000 to spend. What transfers would you make for Ipswich town this summer (in and out) to create a string enough squad to compete and stay in the Premier League next season.
Please show players you would buy and sell (or sign on free transfers) the value you would buy or sell for and the rationale for the purchase/sale’
If Ipswich had a £150m budget and the goal was simply “survive comfortably and build a sustainable Premier League squad,” I wouldn’t spend like a newly promoted club trying to become Chelsea overnight. I’d build around the strengths of Ipswich Town under Kieran McKenna: athletic pressing, technical midfielders, smart recruitment, and high-character players.
The current squad already has a few genuine Premier League-level foundations — Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves, Leif Davis, Cajuste (if retained), and a few attacking players — but it lacks:
Premier League athleticism in midfield
Reliable goals
Pace and recovery defending
Depth across the back line
A top-level goalkeeper
Ipswich’s recent squad profile and transfer activity show a solid base but still a squad built more for promotion than survival.
My Ipswich Transfer Plan (2026 Summer)
Players I Would SELL / RELEASE
Player Fee Why
Ashley Young Free Great pro, but age profile doesn’t fit a survival project
David Button Free Third-choice keeper not needed
Jack Taylor £3m Useful Championship player but lacks PL mobility
Conor Townsend £1m Backup level only
George Hirst £5m Honest worker but not enough goals for PL survival
Cédric Kipré £2m Squad depth but upgrade needed
Nathan Broadhead £7m Good servant but injuries + inconsistency
Christian Walton £2m Cash in while still has value
Total Sales: ~£20m
That gives roughly £170m total spending power.
Players I Would SIGN
1. Goalkeeper
Caoimhín Kelleher — £28m from Liverpool F.C.
Why:
Ipswich need a goalkeeper who can:
play high
distribute under pressure
save points
Kelleher is Premier League proven without being “big six impossible expensive.” He fits McKenna’s possession style perfectly.
2. Centre Back
Maxime Estève — £30m from Burnley F.C.
Why:
If Burnley went down or were willing to sell, this is exactly the profile Ipswich should target:
left-footed
mobile
aggressive defender
excellent recovery pace
A back four of:
Estève
O’Shea
Greaves
Davis
suddenly looks Premier League calibre.
3. Defensive Midfielder
Hayden Hackney — £25m from Middlesbrough F.C.
Why:
Ipswich desperately need midfield athleticism and control.
Hackney:
progresses the ball
presses aggressively
covers ground
fits McKenna-ball perfectly
He’d become one of the smartest signings of the window.
Reddit discussions among Ipswich fans repeatedly highlighted central midfield as the biggest weakness and priority area for investment.
4. Box-to-Box Midfielder
Josh Brownhill — Free transfer
Why:
This is exactly the kind of signing survival teams need:
Premier League experience
leadership
goals from midfield
tactical intelligence
A free transfer that massively upgrades depth.
5. Striker
Emanuel Emegha — £28m from RC Strasbourg Alsace
Why:
Ipswich need pace and transition threat.
Emegha gives:
running power
pressing
aerial threat
room to develop resale value
He fits the modern “chaos striker” profile that survival teams need.
6. Wide Forward
Tom Fellows — £15m from West Bromwich Albion F.C.
Why:
Premier League survival often comes down to:
carrying the ball 40 yards
winning transitions
creating overloads
Fellows is one of the best young creators outside the PL.
7. Right Back
Kyle Walker-Peters — Free transfer
Why:
Massive upgrade.
Can play both full-back roles.
Premier League proven.
Perfect for a possession side.
This would quietly be one of the best value signings in the division.
Total Spend
Type Amount
Transfers In ~£126m
Free Transfers Brownhill, Walker-Peters
Sales Income +£20m
Net Spend ~£106m
That still leaves flexibility for:
January reinforcements
wages
loans
another striker or winger if needed
Starting XI
Preferred XI (4-2-3-1)
GK: Kelleher
RB: Walker-Peters
CB: O’Shea
CB: Estève
LB: Leif Davis
DM: Hackney
CM: Brownhill
RW: Fellows
CAM: Philogene / Clarke
LW: Jack Clarke
ST: Emegha
Bench Depth
Palmer
Greaves
Johnson
Cajuste
Núñez
McAteer
Szmodics
Hirst replacement/young striker
That’s suddenly a squad with:
Premier League athleticism
technical quality
resale value
tactical flexibility
Why This Strategy Works
1. Avoids the “Burn £150m on random internationals” mistake
A lot of promoted clubs fail because they sign:
aging stars
big-name players without intensity
incompatible systems players
Ipswich should recruit like:
Brighton
Brentford
Bournemouth
Not like:
Nottingham Forest’s first survival window
2. Keeps McKenna’s identity
McKenna’s biggest strength is structure and coaching. You don’t want to destroy chemistry with 14 signings.
This plan adds:
6–7 genuine upgrades
keeps continuity
raises the athletic floor massively
3. Creates resale value
Hackney, Fellows, Emegha, Estève could all double in value if Ipswich stay up.
That’s how sustainable Premier League clubs survive long term.
Predicted Finish
With this squad:
13th–16th is realistic
strong chance of survival
capable of upsetting bigger teams
foundation for long-term Premier League status
Without major upgrades in midfield and attack, though, Ipswich would likely struggle badly over 38 games. Reddit fan discussions and squad analysis consistently point to midfield mobility, striker quality, and Premier League-ready depth as the key gaps. |  | | |  |
| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 09:08 - May 16 with 843 views | Matt_Netherlands |
Think you need to ask him / her to update the answer based on transfers that have happened this season… eg Brownhill isn’t a free agent, fellows is no longer at West Brom and KWP is at West Ham.
Think our scouting team are safe in a job for now…. |  | | |
| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 09:12 - May 16 with 817 views | DecageBruce |
| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 09:08 - May 16 by Matt_Netherlands |
Think you need to ask him / her to update the answer based on transfers that have happened this season… eg Brownhill isn’t a free agent, fellows is no longer at West Brom and KWP is at West Ham.
Think our scouting team are safe in a job for now…. |
As I said. Tongue in cheek.
Highlighting the need to fact checking anything from AI | | | |
| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 09:19 - May 16 with 787 views | BlueBoots |
| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 09:08 - May 16 by Matt_Netherlands |
Think you need to ask him / her to update the answer based on transfers that have happened this season… eg Brownhill isn’t a free agent, fellows is no longer at West Brom and KWP is at West Ham.
Think our scouting team are safe in a job for now…. |
...add in
* Kelleher now at Brentford, not Liverpool
*Buying a left footed centre-back (linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen) to play at right-back
* £28m for a striker linked with Chelsea (although that might open the door for a move for Delap)
...and only way KWP would be free is if he has a relegation release clause in his 2028 contract with West Ham.
As for the player sales...Broadhead for £7m (again?), and would be hard to get £1m for an out of contact Conor Townsend.
What a dog's dinner! |  |
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| ChatGPT doing KMs job for him on 10:17 - May 16 with 621 views | urbanpenguin |
Reminded me of this
Slow news day at the Ipswich Star? by Libero 16 May 8:21Shame on Tom Cann for producing such slop using AI and shame on his editor for not holding him to a higher standard. What a load of absolute rubbish.
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