Ipswich Town 2026/27 preview: Tractor Boys eyeing Premier League survival

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·20 August 2026

Ipswich Town 2026/27 preview: Tractor Boys eyeing Premier League survival

Kieran McKenna led Ipswich Town to three promotions in five years at Portman Road, but he surprisingly left at the end of last season. That decision came just weeks after the Irishman led Ipswich to a second promotion into the Premier League in three seasons.

Gary O’Neil is his replacement, having left Strasbourg to make a return to the English top flight. That is certainly a safe move given the fact O’Neil has previously kept Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League.

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What does the 2026/27 campaign hold for Ipswich, then? Can they avoid relegation and perhaps surprise a few people? Only time will tell.

Ipswich looking to avoid a repeat of their previous top flight campaign

McKenna remarkably led Ipswich from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons. While that was an incredible achievement, the Tractor Boys struggled during their first top flight campaign since 2001/02, finishing 19th, winning just 22 points in the process.

The onus for O’Neil will be to lead the club to survival, something that he is certainly well versed in.

Home form could prove crucial. In the Championship last season, Ipswich suffered just one defeat at Portman Road and that came fairly early on in the campaign.

Sunderland, Liverpool, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are their first five opponents at home, giving O’Neil a chance of getting points on the board early on.

Improving their away form could be the difference between staying up come the end of the season, or suffering relegation. Across 23 matches away from home last term, McKenna led Ipswich to just nine wins, conceding 30 goals in those games.

The standard is much higher in the top flight, especially with trips to the Etihad and Old Trafford coming in the first few weeks of the campaign.

During their last Premier League season, Ipswich won more games away from home than at Portman Road (3 vs 1), even scoring more goals while on their travels.

One player that O’Neil will be hoping carries on his stunning form in the Championship from last year is Jack Clarke. The winger netted 16 goals throughout 2025/26, although he did struggle in the Premier League during Ipswich’s previous campaign.

Ipswich have been busy in the transfer market

A total of 12 new signings have been made by the club, spending just over $200m in the process.

While those arrivals improve the team, however? Issa Diop, Sasa Lukic and Florentino played in the Premier League last season, while Abdul Fatawu and Julio Enciso also have top flight experience, with the latter spending time at Ipswich on loan during the 2024/25 campaign.

O’Neil will hope his summer arrivals can gel quickly and help Ipswich get off to a fast start.

Only seven players have departed the club throughout the summer thus far, but there could be a couple more before the window closes in a few weeks.

Breakthrough star: Luca Fletcher

Luca Fletcher spent a period on loan at Ipswich last season and now signs on a permanent basis.

He failed to make a senior appearance for Manchester City, although did feature in the FA Youth Cup final in 2025. He also scored six Premier League 2 goals last season for the Tractor Boys.

It looks as though George Hirst is moving on, leaving a gap to be filled in the final third. Fletcher isn’t the finished article, but there is no denying his potential. Keep an eye out for him this term.

What constitutes a good season?

Survival. Ipswich haven’t played in back-to-back top flight seasons since 2002 and O’Neil will be hoping that ends this season.

The standard will be far tougher and points harder to come by than last season, but in the former Wolves manager, Ipswich have someone who knows a thing or two about keeping teams up.

Getting points on the board earlier could prove vital. Ipswich had to wait until November for their first win during their previous season in the top flight. That cant be allowed to happen again.

A 17th place finish would keep every supporter happy, no doubt about that.