Ipswich Town outcast to exit? He 'has been handy to have around' - Fan reacts | OneFootball

FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has spoken about the future of defender Elkan Baggott.

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…

Ipswich Town are looking to return to the Premier League at the very first time of asking, and have hit their stride in recent months.

After a slow start on their return to the second-tier under Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys have really picked up their form and are establishing themselves as one of the best sides in the division.

Expected to be in and amongst the automatic promotion places, Ipswich are looking to firmly put the pressure on the likes of Coventry City and Middlesbrough, possessing two games in hand that could blow the top two race wide open.

Ipswich will have to pull a string of positive results together though, with the Suffolk outfit recording a victory, draw and defeat in their last three Championship games, although they could make it back-to-back victories when they travel to high-flying Wrexham, who the Tractor Boys were knocked out of the FA Cup by last week.

Trips to North Wales will truly reveal whether Ipswich have the promotion credentials to get back to the Premier League, with this upcoming period defining for how their season will pan out.

And if Ipswich can get more consistent victories on the board, then the fanbase will hold great optimism that promotion is on the cards this campaign.

If promotion was to be sealed, a number of players would be expected to leave the club, with a revamp needed to help them become an established top-flight club.

One of those players who could depart is academy graduate Elkan Baggott, who is yet to feature in the Championship this season and acting as back-up for the more senior first-team assets.

The 23-year-old broke through the ranks back in 2020 but is hardly getting a kick, and may need a fresh opportunity to get his career on an upwards trajectory.

With this in mind, FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has commented on what Baggott’s future looks like at Portman Road, with a big decision needing to be made on one condition.

Ipswich Town advised to part ways with Elkan Baggott if they make PL return

Speaking to Football League World, Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin has admitted it is “best for all parties” if defender Elkan Baggott departs the club at the beginning of next season, with his exit likely to be guaranteed if they seal promotion back to the Premier League this term.

Adam told FLW: “I think Elkan Baggott has been handy to have around the squad as a fourth-choice centre-back, which is quite a hard role to fill.

“I was quite surprised that he played at left-back against Wrexham in the FA Cup, given he is naturally a centre-back, he had a decent enough loan at Blackpool last season, but it’s probably best for all parties that he moves on next season.

“It seems clear to me that he’s not going to make the grade at Ipswich Town given his age and the others coming through, so he’ll be handy to have around this season, but I can see him moving on next year.”

Despite being such a prospect when coming through the ranks, it appears defender Elkan Baggott just won’t turn into the Ipswich Town hero he dreamed of.

Ever since being promoted into the first-team, the Indonesian international has had various loan spells throughout the English pyramid to build up his experience, including at Gillingham, Cheltenham Town, Bristol Rovers and most recently, Blackpool.

But since returning to Portman Road, he has made the substitutes bench in the Championship on just one occasion all season, while making two appearances in the FA Cup, starting and playing 73 minutes in their defeat to Wrexham in the fourth-round last week.

Whether that trust from McKenna can transpire into the league remains to be seen, but right now Baggott is well down the defensive pecking order and is unlikely to be in McKenna’s plans for the remainder of the season.

While a place back in the Premier League would guarantee the end of his time at the club, he should think about moving on even if Ipswich are a second-tier team this season.

It’s clear his opportunities aren’t going to increase, and at 23, he needs to be playing week in, week out if he is going to progress and make a name for himself in the years to come.

Despite Ipswich being disappointed to let one of their own go, it seems for the best as he’s just not getting the game-time he craves.