Ipswich Town warned against Huddersfield Town transfer on Premier League condition | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich fan pundit doesn't think that Cameron Ashia will be coming to play Premier League football at Portman Road this summer

Ipswich Town's growth as a football club under Kieran McKenna, both on and off the field, has been brilliant, and the next step in that growth is to establish the club in the Premier League.

The Tractor Boys secured automatic promotion out of the Championship for the second successive season at the level this term, and will head into 2026/27 with the sole goal of making their top-flight stay last longer than their single-year stint last year.

Only time will tell whether Ipswich have learned their lesson from the immediate relegation they suffered, both in terms of how they approach games in the Premier League and how they approach the transfer market.

In 2024, a lot of the players who arrived at Portman Road were top Championship operators who hadn't had much top-flight experience. As seen with Leeds United and Sunderland this season, having that mix of top-end second-tier players and seasoned top-flight experienced players can help a team stay afloat.

Therefore, some recent links with Huddersfield Town winger Cameron Ashia have caused some of the Ipswich fanbase to scratch their heads.

Cameron Ashia links links questioned

There's no doubt that Ashia is a top prospect. The 21-year-old was lively in bursts for Huddersfield this past season in League One, serving as a bright spark to what was otherwise a dismal year for the Terriers.

However, with just four third-tier starts all campaign, it's difficult for FLW's Ipswich fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, to see where he'd fit in with their first team as they embark on a Premier League return.

Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys' under-21's side finished fifth in Premier League 2 this season, higher than the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, so he sees these links as perhaps ones that would strengthen an already strong youth team, instead.

"The links to Ashia are interesting. We've been doing a lot of recruitment into our under-21s and looking at low-cost investment in younger players. This could well be one of them," Wilkin explained.

"We've had a very good season in the PL2 this year, better than anyone expected, and there does seem to be a lot of talent in that team. We're almost using it as a B team, even if none of them have broken through yet.

"So if we were to sign him, I'd imagine it'd be more for that regard, to fill a gap in the PL2 squad, rather than anything more serious."

Wilkin would like to see his side bring in some more recognisable talents this summer to better prepare themselves for the Premier League, especially on the right wing, which he labelled as an area Ipswich lacked quality in the last time they were in the top-flight.

"I think to be a success in the Premier League, you need a much bigger, more well-rounded signing with a higher transfer fee to have any kind of impact, and our right wing area was lacking," he continued.

"To throw a youngster into that position after one serious season of football in League One seems a non-starter to me."

A Premier League move may prove a step too far for Cameron Ashia this summer

To call Ashia's breakout season in the Huddersfield fold a "serious" season is pretty generous, too, as the 21-year-old played under 650 minutes of league action this past campaign.

However, with three goals and three assists, plus a further couple of goals in the Terriers' EFL Trophy campaign in the knockout rounds against fellow third-tier sides Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers, there'd be an expectation that, if given more time in League One next season, Ashia could be a standout player at the level.

Therefore, a reported £500,000 price tag for his services would be a bargain this summer, and it's no surprise that Ipswich aren't the only team throwing their names in the Ashia sweepstakes this summer.

But, at 21, the wideman needs regular game time in senior football and, as Wilkin alluded to, Premier League clubs such as Ipswich may use him primarily in the under-21s squad, which would stunt his growth.