Kieran McKenna tweak to Ipswich Town could make them millions – Omari Hutchinson 2.0 on the cards? | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna's decision to move Jaden Philogene to the left could make Ipswich Town millions in a similar way to Omari Hutchinson.

Ipswich Town started their return to the Championship quite slowly, but the Tractor Boys began to motor before the international break and Kieran McKenna should be credited with a tactical switch that could make them some more millions.

Ipswich, after a very busy summer transfer window following their relegation from the Premier League last season, have more or less transformed their entire squad from the one that won promotion to the top-flight a couple of years ago.

McKenna was tasked with then showing tactical flexibility and adaptability to be successful again with a different group and, after a couple of months, he appears to have already come across the right formula.

Their most recent outing, a 3-1 defeat of arch-rivals Norwich City in the East Anglian Derby before the October international break, showcased their quality and remarkable depth.

It isn’t all just about having the best squad of players, though, with cohesion and relationships on the pitch also pivotal – and McKenna’s decision to shift Jaden Philogene to the left permanently could pay off both on and off the pitch at Portman Road.

Jaden Philogene could be Ipswich Town’s next Omari Hutchinson

Having been injured and missed the opening game of the season, Philogene then began his personal campaign once again on the right-hand side with Jack Clarke operating on the left, as had been the case during points in the second-half of last season.

Of the 12 games that Philogene has started for Ipswich since arriving from Aston Villa last January, five of those have been on the right and seven have been on the left-hand side.

Of those seven on the left-hand side, six of those have come in successive matches in the last couple of months as both he and Ipswich's form has begun to improve.

McKenna was keen to experiment with Philogene on the right and the left, with more starts on the right before the last month or so, but McKenna settling on where Philogene would best fit into the Ipswich eleven has certainly helped the Tractor Boys' cause and could end up eventually earning them millions.

Jack Clarke, in particular, is someone who has failed to shine as many expected since joining Ipswich, at least in the Premier League, when deployed on the left, and there would be a reasonable argument to suggest that is because of his link-up with Leif Davis.

When at his best at Sunderland during the 2023/24 campaign, Clarke had a variety of left-backs in behind, but the predominant profile of player was in the mould of Niall Huggins; a naturally defensive full-back, freeing up space for Clarke to play out-wide and hug the touchline, which doesn't necessarily work as much when an attacking full-back, such as Davis, goes into the same space.

Clarke attempted to play in the more 'inside forward' role that McKenna appears to prefer from his left-winger but, as was also the case at Leeds United, Clarke simply seems to be more suited to playing wider and a bit more direct.

In contrast, Philogene's ability to cut inside and understand that side of the game with more effectiveness has led to him now properly making that position his own ahead of Clarke and as an out-and-out left-winger rather than the occasional experimentation from the manager.

The former Aston Villa and Hull City man has been sensational in the last month or so since the switch was made, and he is performing at almost future Player of the Season levels for the Championship already.

The 23-year-old former Stoke City and Cardiff City loanee has been blessed with superb technical attributes that have marked him out as a starlet for a long time.

However, he is now beginning to show an efficiency and effectiveness in the final third to put up serious numbers, too, with five goals in seven games so far this season, including a strike in that aforementioned derby win against Norwich and hat-trick against Sheffield United.

Having been a player that has not necessarily had an absolute defined role, deployed on both wings and often interchanging quite regularly, Philogene is now finding consistency in the consistency of selection from McKenna; aiding Ipswich tactically, too.

In their 2023/24 promotion-winning campaign, Omari Hutchinson scored 11 and provided five assists across 50 matches across all competitions.

Hutchinson showcased his talents at Premier League level, too, albeit only scoring one more goal in a whole season than Philogene managed in a few months last year.

Philogene’s switch to the left has seen him get a lot more of the ball and become a fulcrum of Ipswich’s creative play, which is what Hutchinson eventually turned in to, too, as a number ten.

Having been sold for £37.5 million to Nottingham Forest over the summer, Hutchinson could already have a successor that could surpass his achievements down in Suffolk, and thus eventually made Ipswich even more money than that fee.

Omari Hutchinson sale could be the blueprint for Ipswich Town with Jaden Philogene

When Omari Hutchinson joined Ipswich, it was as a winger after coming through the academy at Arsenal and then spending time at Chelsea, but he left for Nottingham Forest as a much more rounded attacking figure.

Such was his impressive ability to play more centrally, having spent time cutting inside in a similar vein as to Philogene this season, Hutchinson was then deployed as the 'number ten' for Town.

That added versatility and dynamism from more central positions allowed for Ipswich to majorly cash in on Hutchinson, who helped England win the UEFA U21 European Championships in Slovakia over the summer.

Hutchinson had always been a highly-rated player before his game was refined into become an efficient attacker with the coaching expertise of McKenna.

Philogene, who was once linked with Barcelona, can also fall into that category and the opening month or so of the campaign, with McKenna now seemingly set on his position and not bending away from it as he did on occasion last season.

Ipswich have made hefty fees on promising youngsters that have been allowed to develop whilst being moulded at Portman Road, such as Liam Delap as well as Hutchinson, with the latter playing in a similar way to Philogene, and it would be no surprise to see them develop Philogene into another mega-money sale soon.