Burnley duo should be front-and-centre to Ipswich Town transfer plans: View | OneFootball

Following promotion, Ipswich Town have begun looking for new signings to bolster their squad for top-flight football, and one of the best ways to improve a squad is to raid the relegated teams from the Premier League.

After a memorable season that saw Ipswich secure a second consecutive promotion, they are now preparing for life back in the Premier League, after more than 20 years away, where they will reportedly target players who they feel can make the step-up to the Premier League with them.

Ipswich can't afford to have a slow start to the summer, and Burnley have two players who could help them immensely in their quest for survival, despite relegation themselves this season. Goals have not been an issue for the Tractor Boys this season, but they have conceded 22 further league goals during 2023/24 than last year, which was to be expected following their jump from the third tier.

Ipswich Town's transfer policy ahead of 2024/25

Floor raising signings that improve the strength in depth are not the way to go, but instead, ceiling raisers should be sought. The kinds of players that immediately come in and improve the first-team and starting lineup, and are among the best players within the squad straight away.

That should include domestic-based signings that are affordable, with plenty of Championship or Premier League experience for their age, who should stand the side in good stead heading towards the new season, and players in defensive areas will be the first priority for Kieran McKenna's side.

Ipswich will know that they must initially focus on strengthening their defence before looking to more advanced areas. It's a difficult one for many at the club due to Vaclav Hladky and Cameron Burgess, among some of the other defenders who have performed excellently at times during the 2023/24 season, in spite of conceding 57 goals this season.

With that in mind, it could be argued that a number of their existing defenders deserve to start next season, especially as they are engrained into McKenna's methods and well-drilled in the fast-paced repetitive actions in possession. Rocking the boat too much in those areas would be a mistake, but some quality box-defenders who are physically combative would help McKenna's weaker players in the defensive third immeasurably.

It would be negligent and irresponsible to spend the vast majority of their budget in the forward area, but they will also require some additions with the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Kieffer Moore are all returning to their parent clubs, meaning decisions will need to be made on their futures by their respective loan clubs as well as with Ipswich if they wish to seek out permanent deals.

Burnley duo would be perfect for Ipswich Town

Two players who would be perfect for Ipswich in the short-term of attempting to retain their Premier League status in season one are Burnley duo Josh Cullen and Dara O'Shea. The pair of Irish internationals may have suffered relegation over the weekend, but are 28 and 25 respectively, so they represent good value stop-gaps in those first few seasons in the top-flight.

Cullen, in particular, would be well-suited to the McKenna style of play, whilst also providing security out of possession to improve Ipswich's pool of options in the holding midfield positions. His aggressive and physically competitive nature, to act as a screen in front of the defenders, whilst also being younger than both Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo, make him an ideal option as an alternative pivot player, and a material improvement on that pair.

O'Shea suits the style of play less in terms of what he offers on the ball, but the Irishman would be a complementary player to many of the other defensive profiles at McKenna's disposal. He has the height, aerial prowess, and low-block defensive capabilities to slot straight in and command the box at both ends for Ipswich.

He is also younger than Burgess, so he would grant them far more longevity, whilst being a highly capable Championship player should the worst happen and Ipswich find themselves immediately demoted back down, much like Burnley this term. O'Shea would also benefit from the attacking set-pieces of Leif Davis as well, with that being one of the best ways for a recently promoted club like Ipswich to gain an advantage over their new Premier League opponents.

Of course, Burnley and Vincent Kompany are likely to be intent on keeping both players at Turf Moor next year for another promotion-pushing campaign, but relegation has weakened their hand, and it is possible both will be available for a reasonable price, whilst both footballers are likely to be intent on playing at the highest level possible if they can as well.

After conceding plenty of goals this season, adding some steel and know-how, and both Cullen and O'Shea tick plenty of boxes in a double raid of a team that Ipswich are replacing in next year's top-flight. Cullen has captained Burnley at times over the last couple of seasons, whilst O'Shea has with West Brom previously, too. Leadership among other intangibles will be huge for a team expected to lose far more frequently next year than over the last two years in the EFL.