Ipswich Town Premier League Odds: McKenna aiming for survival

After enjoying back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys find themselves back in England’s top flight after 22 years away. Portman Road is sure to be rocking when Ipswich host Liverpool in their opening game of the 2024/25 season, and fans are right to be hopeful about the campaign ahead.

Ahead of the new season, I have taken a look at the Ipswich Town Premier League odds and given my prediction on how McKenna’s men will fare this season, which you can check out below.

Last Season: 2nd (Championship)

Top Scorer: Nathan Broadhead, Conor Chaplin (13)

Transfers In: Omari Hutchinson – Chelsea (£20.1m), Jacob Greaves – Hull City (£18.3m), Liam Delap – Manchester City (£15.3m), Arijanet Muric – Burnley (£8.2m), Conor Townsend – West Bromwich Albion (£505,000), Ben Johnson – West Ham United (free)

Transfers Out: Gassan Ahadme – Charlton Athletic (£1m), Idris El Mizouni – Oxford United (£430,000), Vaclav Hladky – Burnley (free), Kayden Jackson – Derby County (free), Panutche Camara – Crawley Town (free), Nick Hayes – Barnet (free), Corrie Ndaba – Kilmarnock (undisclosed), Elkan Baggot – Blackpool (loan), Dominic Ball – released, Sone Aluko – retired 

First Game: Liverpool (H)

Prediction: 18th

Premier League Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Premier League Odds page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices.

Ipswich are odds-on to be relegated next season, along with fellow newly-promoted side Leicester City, which is hardly surprising as their squad has largely remained unchanged from their promotion-winning campaign.

As mentioned in the introduction, McKenna has guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions since he stepped into the dugout in 2021. The last club to win consecutive promotions to the top flight, Southampton in 2012, managed to stay up, so while the odds are stacked against the Tractor Boys to avoid the drop, it’s not impossible.

Ipswich received plenty of plaudits for their expansive style of football in the Championship last year, and they averaged two goals per game, the highest of any team in the English second tier. They had the fourth-highest ‘Expected Goals’ total (75.1) while their defensive resilience was also impressive, keeping 15 clean sheets, and only Leeds United and Leicester City had a lower ‘Expected Goals Against’ total.

The major concern is whether this style translates into the Premier League. Burnley are an example of this – under Vincent Kompany, the Clarets racked up 101 points and stormed to the Championship title in 22/23 with a possession-based, attacking style of play, but finished 19th in the Premier League the following season.

In terms of transfers, Omari Hutchinson has made the permanent switch to Portman Road, after an impressive loan spell last year from Chelsea, while Liam Delap, a promising Manchester City academy graduate who scored eight Championship goals on loan at Hull City last season, has also joined up with McKenna’s squad. The highly-rated defender Jacob Greaves has arrived from Hull City, and former West Ham United right-back Ben Johnson is a canny addition on a free.

McKenna will be eyeing-up another addition in midfield to compliment the ageing duo of Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy, while other existing stalwarts such as Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin will be keen to put their own stamp on the Premier League.

However, the most important signing of pre-season for Ipswich was the new contract agreed with McKenna in late May. In a chaotic period after Ipswich’s promotion, he was linked heavily  with various jobs, most notably Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Manchester United.

First and foremost, Ipswich’s aim will be survival, and they won’t want to follow in the footsteps of Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United straight back to the Championship after just one season in the top flight. If this season is a step too far for the Tractor Boys however, in McKenna they have a manager at the helm more than capable of bringing them back to the promised land.

Offers

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