Christian Walton sparks awkward debate Ipswich Town cannot ignore after Arsenal loss | OneFootball

Ipswich Town's defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup has split fan opinion on Christian Walton

Ipswich Town’s EFL Cup came to an end for this season on Tuesday night with a convincing 4-2 defeat to Premier League champions Arsenal.

The Tractor Boys have had a solid start to life in the top flight since gaining automatic promotion from the Championship in 2025/26 under Kieran McKenna.

Gary O’Neil took charge in the summer, and has overseen two wins from their first four games, but the defeat to the Gunners was the latest heavy loss since the new term got underway.

A 5-2 loss at Old Trafford to Manchester United at the end of August highlighted some defensive concerns, and now fans are beginning to vent some of their frustrations with the team.

In particular, one player has divided the opinion of supporters following the loss in the EFL Cup at Portman Road midweek, and that’s goalkeeper Christian Walton.

Christian Walton divides Ipswich Town fan opinion

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Walton made 37 appearances in the Championship last season, as Ipswich earned second place in the table to make their immediate return to the Premier League.

The goalkeeper has been with the Suffolk outfit since 2021 after initially joining on loan from Brighton before signing a permanent deal in 2022.

But the 30-year-old has found himself out of favour under O’Neil, who has instead opted for a new goalkeeper for the Premier League in Kjell Scherpen.

However, the Dutchman has come under criticism for his performances in the league, having made serious blunders against Man United and Liverpool in their two defeats so far.

Fans believe that neither goalkeeper is up to the standard required to compete in the Premier League this season.

While fans aren’t too disappointed with a defeat in the cup to Premier League champions Arsenal, the performance of Walton has led to some reflection regarding Scherpen.

Walton has been criticised for wasting his opportunity to stake a claim to get back into the team, as he conceded four goals in which he could’ve done better on each occasion on Tuesday night.

Ipswich were eliminated from the competition, with the 30-year-old playing in the 3-1 win over Leicester City in the previous round.

Ipswich Town fans defend Christian Walton display v Arsenal

However, some Ipswich fans are still ready to get behind Walton despite his disappointing performance in the cup, suggesting that one game isn’t enough for them to give up on him.

Supporters are disappointed that his mistake for the second goal in particular has led to a pile-on.

The second-choice backline has also been highlighted as an area where Walton was let down on Tuesday, indicating it had an impact on his performance.

But, ultimately, the consensus among the fans is that the Ipswich goalkeeper hasn’t done enough to earn the starting position going into their clash this weekend against Everton.

O’Neil’s side travel to face the Toffees on 19 September in a 3pm kick-off.

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Ipswich are stuck with a real goalkeeper dilemma

Scherpen has been dreadful for Ipswich, and it’s no surprise that some fans are ready to give Walton another chance in the team.

It was a disappointing performance from him on Tuesday night, but it was also a very different occasion to a typical Premier League game, as it was a rotated side against top opposition.

The experienced shot-stopper does perhaps still deserve an opportunity to show what he can do in the Premier League.

He’s already played a little bit at that level before for Ipswich, and he knows the players well from last season, so it could be worth trying something different after Scherpen’s sloppy mistakes.