Ipswich Town may have struck gold with £7.8m transfer - Kieran McKenna words should excite fans | OneFootball

Azor Matusiwa's addition should excite Ipswich fans ahead of the new season

Despite coming off the back of a frustrating and solitary season of Premier League football, Ipswich Town supporters still have plenty of cause for optimism ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The Tractor Boys have managed to retain, arguably, their biggest asset in the form of highly-rated manager Kieran McKenna, and have already conducted some smart transfer business, despite not fully flexing the transfer muscle at their disposal through parachute payments just yet.

Unsurprisingly, the East Anglian club are already among the favourites to mount a promotion charge, having accumulated 96 points during their most-recent Championship season with a somewhat weaker squad on paper.

And with two weeks to go until the division's curtain-raiser, which sees Town face off against big-spending Birmingham City at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, the Northern Irishman's comments regarding new signing, Azor Matusiwa, should increase anticipation and excitement levels at Portman Road significantly.

Matusiwa's career path that has eventually brought him to Suffolk is certainly intriguing, as well as being one which showcases the current and future potential the 27-year-old can offer.

A product of the highly-reputable Ajax academy setup, the former Dutch youth international made just one senior appearance for the Amsterdam giants, but has gone on to forge a highly-credible career for FC Groningen, Stade de Reims and most recently, Stade Rennais, who he featured for 47 times in a year-and-a-half stint.

The Hilversum-born man's statistics during his one full season at Roahzon Park showcase an extremely combative, yet progressive midfielder, and one which caught the eye of Arne Slot as he looked to boost Liverpool's midfield options during the second-half of their Premier League title-winning season last term.

Unsurprisingly, with those prior links to Anfield and a plethora of strong showings in the French top flight, McKenna believes Matusiwa can feature in the Premier League after his £7.8m move was completed.

"Azor is a player that the club have tracked for quite a while, actually. He used to play with Jens (Cajuste) and we kept watching him through the whole of last season. So he's been on the radar for a little while," the Town boss stated.

"He's a really, really good midfielder, really high energy, does both sides of the game really well. Defends well, presses well, intercepts well, is a real team player and uses the ball well.

"It's not an easy role to come into a new team in, and it'll take him time to fully adapt, but he's made a good start this week. He's a great guy, so he's fitted into the group really well," he added.

By adding an abundance of quality into midfield with Matusiwa's addition, McKenna is doing all he can to soften the blow of losing club captain Sam Morsy, who is set to move to Egyptian side, Kuwait FC, imminently.

McKenna has already admitted how much of a loss his departure will be, having been a key cog in a transformative period for the club, overseeing back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League before making 33 league appearances last season.

Town's midfield department remains somewhat lightweight despite the options of Jack Taylor and Cameron Humphreys. Therefore, it is also understandable why they are chasing the services of Hayden Hackney, who registered eight goal contributions for Middlesbrough last season and has also been linked with a plethora of top-flight sides in the past.

However, with the 39-year-old having full faith in Matusiwa to fulfill his potential, the aforementioned £7.8m figure could prove to be a bargain in the short and long-term.