£30k-a-week Ipswich Town star tipped for Portman Road exit– It’s the “elephant in the room” | OneFootball

FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has highlighted Ben Johnson as a player to leave the club during the January transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After a slow start upon their return to the Championship, Ipswich Town are now showing signs of picking up the pace and getting themselves into the promotion conversation.

The Tractor Boys were winless from their opening four Championship outings as they struggled to adapt following their relegation from the Premier League, but it now appears the hangover has cleared after an excellent run of form over the past few weeks.

Kieran McKenna’s men have now won three out of their last four games, including ending a 16-year wait for victory in the East Anglian derby after beating Norwich City 3-1 last weekend at Portman Road.

This run has seen Ipswich go on the periphery of the top six, with 13 points collected from their eight league outings, while they have a game in hand on the rest of the promotion-chasing pack as they are due to play their rearranged game against Blackburn Rovers.

Over the coming months, attention will turn to the January transfer window, with Ipswich believing that a few more additions could be the difference in making it back to the big time at the first time of asking.

Along with incomings, departures are also expected for senior figures who aren’t getting the gametime that they need in the stages of their careers.

With this in mind, FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit weighed in with his thoughts on a player he believes will be waving goodbye to Portman Road at the turn of the new year.

Ben Johnson listed as Ipswich Town player to depart in January

Speaking to Football League World, Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin believes Ben Johnson will be one first-team figure to depart Portman Road in January, with his gametime limited due to such strength in depth at right-back.

Adam said: “The elephant in the room at the moment is Ben Johnson. He’s signed from the Premier League, he’s probably on quite high wages, he’s very versatile, but he doesn’t seem to get a look in, even off the bench at the moment.

“His favoured position at right-back, he’s got Darnell Furlong and Ashley Young ahead of him, at left-back, he’s got Leif Davis ahead of him, and he’s probably one we’d have liked to have moved on in the summer window, but bids didn’t come in.

“I can’t see him featuring much this season, and he’s probably one we should be looking to move on, get some wages off the books and get a little bit of money for him. Fulham were meant to be interested in the summer for at least a couple of million, so I think that will represent a pretty good deal.”

Ben Johnson should seek Ipswich Town exit in January

It’s set to be a tough next few months for Ben Johnson before January rolls around, with the ex-West Ham man unlikely to be staking a claim for regular second-tier minutes anytime soon.

Johnson’s most natural position is at right-back and after starting the opening two games of the season, he has now fallen down the pecking order behind Darnell Furlong, while Ashley Young’s experience may be preferred if Furlong does fall to an injury later down the line.

Johnson can also play left-back, but it’s a remote chance that Leif Davis gets displaced after developing so much in an Ipswich shirt over recent seasons, while Johnson can’t be waiting around hoping an injury can bring him back into the first-team fold.

Instead, he should be doing all he can to explore a move away during the new year, either on loan or on a permanent deal. At 25, he has to be playing week in week out, and Ipswich won’t be too keen on maintaining his reported £30,000 a week salary for little output on the pitch either.

It does provide an opening for Ipswich to recuperate some funds that could be better spent during the upcoming transfer window, and this deal should be a priority for the club to get done given he is offering very little to the team at the moment.