The transfer truth Ipswich Town can't escape as Coventry City and Birmingham City raise the bar | OneFootball

George Hirst is yet to really shine in front of goal for Ipswich.

Ipswich Town haven't settled back into Championship life as seamlessly as they would have hoped over the summer.

Following their impressive rise through the divisions under Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League last term and arrived back in the second tier as one of the red-hot favourites for promotion.

Ipswich retained the likes of Jaden Philogene, Jack Clarke and Leif Davis following the drop, with the aforementioned trio tearing apart the Championship during previous spells.

Though overreliance on both Clarke and Philogene specifically has since followed, with the pair scoring 12 of Ipswich's 29 goals between them, while marksman George Hirst has found the net just five times in 15 appearances.

The Tractor Boys are by no means out of the promotion picture, but adding more firepower in January may have to be a priority.

Ipswich Town lack a reliable source of goals

League leaders Coventry City have set the standard all season in the final third, with Frank Lampard's men scoring a whopping 50 Championship goals in 18 matches. For further context, Hull City's 30 sits second-highest in the division.

Brandon Thomas-Asante is leading the individual goalscoring race at the moment, with the Coventry striker netting 10 times. And there are three more Sky Blues players also in the top 10, with Haji Wright, Victor Torp and Ellis Simms scoring eight, seven and seven respectively.

As is the case for most sides in and around the promotion race, a reliable source of goals is crucial. The same can be said for Birmingham City, with Marvin Ducksch beginning to shine in the final third after his summer move from Werder Bremen. The German striker has netted three goals in two recent Championship matches as the Blues aim to throw themselves into the chasing pack following their promotion from League One.

During Ipswich's Premier League promotion season, Conor Chaplin finished as the club's top scorer with 13, alongside Nathan Broadhead. Hirst finished the campaign with seven, and while he is able to offer more than just goals, it is far from the level required to inspire promotion ambitions.

January could offer Ipswich Town a chance to fix things

With the January transfer window approaching, the chance is there for Ipswich to add further firepower as they look to reach the Premier League once again.

Ex-Middlesbrough forward Chuba Akpom joined the club over the summer, but he has since failed to replicate his form he showed on Teesside, when he finished the 2022/23 term with 28 goals.

Hirst has often been tasked with leading the line for Ipswich, without there being any real return, with just four open-play goals complementing his goal from the spot on opening night against Birmingham.

Soccer Football - Championship - Birmingham City v Ipswich Town - St Andrews @ Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - August 8, 2025 Ipswich Town's George Hirst reacts after the match Action Images/Craig Brough

With this year's Championship being incredibly tight, added firepower would make a real difference, as is seen with the likes of Derby and Hull - whose regular goals from Carlton Morris and Joe Gelhardt see them in and around the race for the play-offs.

Ipswich entered the campaign as one of the big promotion favourites, as is usually the case following relegation. However, they have not fully matched expectations just yet. To begin meeting these, guaranteed goals are a must in January.