Ipswich Town reaction given to "ambitious" transfer target - he might not fit into Kieran McKenna's plans now | OneFootball

FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has commented on the Tractor Boys being linked with a move for Watford midfielder Imran Louza.

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 after suffering relegation, having hit their stride across 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.

And a comfortable 2-0 victory over Bristol City in midweek proved it, with the Suffolk-based outfit securing a fourth straight win and are unbeaten in their last six league outings.

That momentum was swiftly undone by Saturday's shock 3-1 defeat away to ten-man Sheffield United, who were on the receiving end of a 5-0 rout at Portman Road earlier on in the season, of course, but Ipswich remain firmly in automatic promotion contention and will fancy their chances of returning to the top-flight come May.

They are set to firmly pile the pressure onto Coventry City and Middlesbrough, who currently occupy the top two spots, as promotion to the top-flight looks set to go down to the wire in typical Championship fashion.

In order to sustain their rise up the standings, Ipswich have also been bolstering their squad during the January transfer window, making Bristol City attacker Anis Mehmeti their first arrival for a reported fee of £3m.

The Albanian winger, who can also operate in attacking midfield, will add to a wealth of eye-catching options in the final third, with McKenna's men undoubtedly the envy of the Championship with the likes of Chuba Akpom, Ivan Azon, Wes Burns, Jack Clarke, Sindre Walle Egeli and Jaden Philogene all at the Northern Irishman's disposal.

Meanwhile, an exclusive story from FLW revealed that the Tractor Boys are interested in making a move for Watford ace Imran Louza, who has been one of the standout midfielders in the second-tier so far this season.

This would add much-needed depth and creativity in the middle park to help the goals continue to flow at the top end of the pitch, with Ipswich seemingly going all out to secure a place back in the top-flight at the first time of asking.

With this in mind, FLW’s Ipswich Town fan pundit has issued his thoughts on the links to Louza and whether he would be happy to see the 26-year-old link up at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town reaction offered to "ambitious" Watford, Imran Louza transfer news

Speaking to Football League World, Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin believes the signing of Imran Louza would be an ambitious one at this stage of the season, but is confident the club can tempt Watford into a sale, despite the Hornets being involved in the promotion mix themselves.

Adam told FLW: “I think it’s definitely an ambitious signing. I guess Watford are going for promotion but, in terms of the size of the club, they’ve not been in the Premier League that recently. They’re potentially under pressure to sell given they aren’t a parachute team and have been in the Championship for quite a while now.

“Louza’s a player that I’ve liked for such a long time, and you’ve just seen with the Mehmeti signing, £3m from Bristol City, although he did have only six months left on his contract, you don’t have to pay massive money to get good quality Championship players.

The only thing with Louza is, I don’t think he would be the missing piece of the midfield puzzle. I think he’d be another player who could play on the left side in a more advanced role rather than covering Matusiwa, but then I wonder if you could use Jack Taylor as a more defensive midfielder.

“It’s tough because Matusiwa is the best defensive midfielder in the league, and it’s hard to get cover in to replace him, but I would be very excited by the signing of Louza.

“The other option is you could play him (Louza) further forward or in some games in a midfield three, then he could fit that system.”

Ipswich Town would send out a statement of intent with Imran Louza signing - but he may not fit under Kieran McKenna now

With Ipswich Town’s limited options in the engine room, you can understand why they are looking at bolstering this department, which was further weakened when they loaned Cameron Humphreys out to Huddersfield Town.

Azor Matusiwa, Jens Cajuste and Jack Taylor have shared game-time in the double pivot all season, whilst summer signing Marcelino Nunez has been more prominent in the number 10 role since his move from bitter rivals Norwich City. Mehmeti, meanwhile, can also be deployed in attacking midfield, which could well play out at Portman Road amid competition from the likes of Clarke, Egeli and Philogene out wide.

The arrival of someone like Imran Louza, who has been one of the best midfielders in the division so far this term, would make the rest of the promotion chasing team’s eyebrows raise, although you do feel they would have to pay a very inflated price for his services given it is halfway through the season, and the fact Watford are setting their sights on promotion themselves.

The Hornets may not even be willing to engage in discussions given he is such a pivotal player for them, and they are well-positioned towards the top end of the table, but Ipswich could persuade them into a move if they bid an amount that is too good to refuse.

It would be ground-breaking if Ipswich were able to prise away not one, but two of the form players in the Championship this season, and while Louza would undoubtedly be a fantastic addition to McKenna's side, just how likely a deal is remains to be seen at this stage.

Ipswich do possess one of the more dominant budgets in the division after recently coming down from the Premier League, while you do feel that they are nailed on for promotion if this deal gets over the line.

It will be interesting to see how this saga develops before the 2nd February deadline, with both Ipswich and Watford’s outcomes at the end of the season potentially hanging on this deal.