Ipswich Town plot Bristol City transfer raid - these 2 Tractor Boys players may be unhappy | OneFootball

If Anis Mehmeti signs for Ipswich Town, these two fringe players at Portman Road may be left even further by the wayside

Ipswich Town are planning to bolster their already impressive attacking arsenal with one of the more impressive attacking midfielders in the Championship this season, in Bristol City's Anis Mehmeti.

Football Insider has reported that the Tractor Boys are interested in prying the Albanian away from Ashton Gate, months before his contract is up, with the lure of playing Premier League football next season.

With eight goals and six assists already this season at Bristol City, it's evident that Mehmeti is one of the few Championship players who could make that step up to the top flight, and if he does end up making a switch to the side with the second-best attacking record, there's every prospect that those numbers reach even newer heights between now and May.

However, would that come at a cost to a few fringe players at Portman Road, who may see their chances of impacting games in the second half of the campaign dwindle if the 25-year-old arrived at the club in the coming weeks?

Here are two current Ipswich players who may see a move for Mehmeti as a negative thing for their own playing aspirations.

Sammie Szmodics

Sammie Szmodics has been plagued with injury since he arrived at Portman Road ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, which is a real shame given he looked primed to kick on in the Premier League following a Championship Golden Boot-winning season the year before.

An ankle injury limited him to just 20 top-flight games last season, and so far this year, a mixture of knee injuries and recurring ankle issues has really stunted his ability to make an impact back in the second tier, just two seasons on from his 27-goal campaign at Blackburn Rovers.

The 30-year-old did score on his return against his former club last weekend, but all of that is in the midst of talks regarding a potential move to Derby County to reunite with former Rovers boss John Eustace.

The 11-time Republic of Ireland international could have seen his first goal of the season as a way to kickstart a return into the Ipswich fold, and even more so given Jaden Philogene's injury in the same game, but it looks like Kieran McKenna is looking outside his current squad to provide an attacking boost in his absence.

If Mehmeti does arrive, it'll open the door even further to a potential Szmodics departure, and it wouldn't be surprising if it's a case of one in, one out in the attacking midfield department this month.

Chuba Akpom

From the 2023/24 Golden Boot winner to the top scorer from the year before, Chuba Akpom has also found his return to the Championship a little more difficult than his previous second-tier ventures at Middlesbrough.

The 30-year-old was a highly sought-after signing at Portman Road this summer, after Ipswich beat out interest from Birmingham City and Boro to secure his services on an initial loan deal with a £7 million obligation to buy if Kieran McKenna's side is promoted.

So far this season, however, George Hirst has been the first-choice striker for McKenna, and Akpom has had to settle for being in and out of the side in the 'number 10' role behind the 26-year-old. That 'in-and-out' status could be lessened even further if Mehmeti did sign for Ipswich.

Akpom has started just seven games in the Championship this season and hasn't contributed to the levels that many had expected him to before his initial move, and some Ipswich fans have even been left wondering why the club pushed so hard to bring him in over the summer.

And, if Mehmeti does make the switch from Bristol City to Portman Road, the 30-year-old himself may be wishing he'd elected for Birmingham, instead.