Ipswich Town tipped to loan out star who is a "victim of the club's success" | OneFootball

Al-Hamadi spent the second half of last season on loan at Stoke City.

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...

Ali Al-Hamadi's Ipswich Town career is yet to properly take off, and he could find himself away from Portman Road again next season.

After completing a £1 million move to the Tractor Boys from AFC Wimbledon in the January of Ipswich's promotion-winning season in the Championship, Al-Hamadi, 23, has shown signs of promise, but not always consistency.

He spent the second half of last term on loan at Stoke City, but his struggles continued. Al-Hamadi only got on the scoresheet twice in 15 appearances for the Potters.

A project, he is, but one that Adam Wilkin, Football League World's Ipswich fan pundit, believes isn't one that will grow to be a player that can contribute at the highest level. He believes another temporary move would be best for the Iraqi international.

Ipswich told to take Ali Al-Hamadi summer transfer action

"Ali Al-Hamadi is an interesting one. He has been a victim of the club's success and promotion to the Premier League," said Wilkin. "He was signed halfway through the Championship season, from League Two to make the jump up two leagues.

"He was prolific in League Two, and he did quite well in the second half of that promotion season, coming in as the second/third choice striker. George Hirst wasn't fit, so he was largely coming off the bench when Kieffer Moore had played his minutes.

"And then he was asked to then step up to the Premier League within six months, which, yeah, proved to be too much for him in the end.

"He was also struggling with a little injury. I think he started his spell at Stoke quite well with a couple of goals, but then faded a bit. I think he's contracted until 2028. I can see a loan move more than a permanent transfer.

"I don't think he'll have that much interest currently, given his recent form. But I think there's still a good top-end League One, bottom-to-middle-end of the Championship striker in there. He knows where the back of the net is, which is something that is hard to find.

"If he were to be sold, I don't think we'd make much profit on him, which is why I think a loan move could help him find his form, get him some more game time, and get some of his wages off temporarily off of the wage project, because I think next season he'll find himself probably at the moment he's second in the packing order with the sale of the lap behind George Hirst.

But by the end of the summer transfer window, I can imagine him being third or fourth choice. I think we'll get at least one new striker in, and I could potentially even see Sammy Szmodics playing up front on occasion as well.

"So I think a loan to either a top-end League One side or a lower Championship side, whether we'd loan him to a team in the same division is questionable, but maybe a promotion-chasing League One side just to get his confidence back.

"Get him scoring a few goals and hopefully boost his value, so when/if Town do return to the Premier League, he'll have a bit more value to him and they could maybe move him on then."

Ali Al-Hamadi should push for loan away from Ipswich

The key for Al-Hamadi is to get game time. He had plenty of time on the pitch with the Wombles in League Two, less so once he made his big-money move to Portman Road. The amount of minutes that he needs just isn't going to come under Kieran McKenna, and he should be looking for a way out of East Anglia this summer.

That doesn't mean a permanent departure. He does have the potential to be a very competent player in the second tier, if that ends up being Ipswich's more consistent home in the next few years. But to fulfill his potential he needs to play more than he will next season with Town.