Ipswich Town are facing Jaden Philogene issue - Kieran McKenna will hope for Cardiff City repeat | OneFootball

Ipswich Town are yet to see the best of Jaden Philogene

Ipswich Town were tipped as one of the favourites to secure the 2025/26 Championship title but have started the season in sub-par fashion.

In the midst of this season’s first international break, Kieran McKenna’s side sit 20th in the table and are yet to record a victory.

The Tractor Boys also crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of League Two outfit Bromley, which adds further disappointment to their already bleak beginning.

Heading into the campaign, Ipswich’s attack was highlighted as a key area that could blow away defences up and down the second-tier.

Operators such as Chuba Akpom, Jack Clarke and Sammie Szmodics possess qualities that other sides in the division simply can’t match.

Another player who lies within McKenna’s forward ranks is Jaden Philogene, who signed for the Tractor Boys for £20 million in January.

The 23-year-old proved to be an extremely talented prospect during his time with Hull City, where he netted 12 times and provided six assists in 32 Championship appearances. His dazzling skills and impressive end product left defences across the country battered and bruised.

However, that hasn’t proven to be the case at Portman Road.

Ipswich Town will hope Jaden Philogene’s Cardiff City past repeats itself

Since joining Ipswich, Philogene has shown bursts of talent but not enough to justify his price tag.

A brace against Manchester United in the Premier League has been the prospect’s highlight during his time with the Suffolk outfit, but he hasn’t recorded a goal contribution since the end of February.

Coupled with Ipswich’s slow start to the season, frustrations towards the forward have started to grow among the club’s fanbase.

Naturally, they were hoping for more return on the sizeable investment forked out to secure Philogene’s services, but there could still be hope yet.

When spending the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Cardiff City, Philogene suffered an extremely slow start. At one point, he even ran out for the Bluebirds’ U21 side, highlighting how tough he was finding it to perform.

However, as the season progressed, his performances came on leaps and bounds, becoming one of the Welsh side’s most important players by the end of the season.

The 23-year-old has developed immensely since then but could be falling foul of the same trend at Ipswich Town.

Perhaps, like at Cardiff, Philogene is taking his time to bed in. The attacker has previously proven just how good he can be in the Championship and could suddenly explode into life once he adapts to his new surroundings.

Kieran McKenna must get Ipswich Town's attack firing

As previously mentioned, Ipswich Town’s key strength over their fellow Championship outfits is their devastating attack.

Operators such as Philogene, Clarke and Szmodics have all previously shown they have what it takes to perform as some of the division’s most dangerous threats and when connected to the same attack, should leave defences up and down the country cowering with fear.

It is McKenna’s job to make this work because ultimately, it will be the factor that determines whether they can fight for the title or not.

Unlocking the potential Ipswich Town’s attack holds might be a tough task, due to how many talented options there are.

But if it is done correctly, they could perform at a level the Championship hasn’t previously witnessed.