Ipswich Town will aim to still get this ambitious signing over the line.
As much as many Ipswich Town fans will be pleased with cheering for England at this Euro, a good summertime respite before the worries of a Premier League campaign start in, there will no doubt be a sense of excitement in the air also for the top flight. The Tractor Boys will aim to take the top flight by storm and catch teams off-guard in the process, with this mentality sending shockwaves through the Championship on the way to promotion being sealed, but they will be abundantly aware that it will is a different kettle of fish altogether compared to the second-tier.In order to make another leap up in quality, without allowing the tremendous pressure to get the better of them, Kieran McKenna and Co will aim to litter the Ipswich squad with some more great players, one of whom is now away in Germany at the Euros. Credited with having a previous interest in current Chelsea man Armando Broja, Ipswich will know that they face extremely stiff competition to land the Albanian attacker’s services, with a new development from Italian outlet CalcioMercato – via Sky Italia – stating that scouts from AC Milan are watching his progress in Germany with his national side. With Everton and Southampton also keen back in England, alongside McKenna’s men, it might be a big job for the Tractor Boys to land the 6-foot-3 striker, ahead of other interested parties. After an uneventful showing against Italy in his country’s opening game of the Euros – with just 22 touches mustered up against Italy – suitors from the likes of San Siro and Goodison Park could now be put off going after him, especially with a dire loan spell at Fulham from last campaign also still fresh. This might be where Ipswich jump in, with Broja also colleagues with former Tractor Boys loanee Omari Hutchinson at Stamford Bridge. McKenna might well be the manager to get the best out of Broja again, after the 22-year-old managed just eight appearances at Craven Cottage last season off loan, with only a solitary assist to show for his struggles.The much-loved Tractor Boys leader managed to squeeze a song out of a formerly misfiring George Hirst last year, who habitually fired blanks for past employers such as Rotherham United, weathering a horrible barren 2020/21 season with the Millers. However, in Ipswich, he has been converted into a consistent presence under his new manager’s leadership. Since McKenna’s entry into the building, Hirst has managed to net 14 goals across two seasons – with seven of those boosting Ipswich’s promotion attempt last season – which is a decent portion of the 47 goals he’s achieved during his complete up-and-down career. Therefore, the stuttering Broja will attempt to be revitalized by McKenna in a bid become the confident striker he was when sporting a Southampton jersey again. Indeed, his nine-goal total during the 2021–22 season saw him challenge a number of Ipswich strikers from their promotion campaign, with Hirst coming just short of his goalscoring figures when comparing the two. Once characterised as a “strong” attacker by one of his previous Chelsea managers in Frank Lampard, Broja would also be able to bridge a vacuum in the team with Kayden Jackson no longer on the books, giving Ipswich an intimidating forward option away from more complex strikers such as Conor Chaplin.
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