Have Ipswich Town made a major transfer mistake? Kieran McKenna faces risky wait-and-see | OneFootball

Ipswich Town have suffered a poor start to the 2025/26 Championship campaign

Ipswich Town entered the 2025/26 Championship campaign as one of the favourites to claim the title but haven’t impressed during the season’s opening stanza.

Kieran McKenna and Co. came into the summer window with a squad that featured proven second-tier operators such as Jack Clarke, Jaden Philogene and Sammie Szmodics and, after adding the likes of Marcelino Nunez, Chuba Akpom and Jens-Lys Cajuste to their ranks, should be fighting at the top of the division immediately.

However, that hasn’t been the case. The Tractor Boys are yet to record a victory after four matches, with three draws and a defeat against Preston North End making for a worrying start to the campaign.

After securing back-to-back promotions from League One to the top-flight previously, McKenna knows what it takes to score significant points across 46 games, but will be slightly concerned to have already lost nine points to their title rivals.

Despite adding significantly to their already talented group in the summer, there is a neglected area of the Ipswich squad which could come back to bite them.

Ipswich Town may regret defensive transfer decision later down the line

Despite all the business Ipswich commenced this summer, they failed to recruit another much-needed left-sided defender.

Just Jacob Greaves and Leif Davis are senior left-footed operators in McKenna’s backline, and an injury to either could have tragic consequences for Ipswich’s competitiveness.

Firstly, Greaves should be one of the Championship's outstanding centre-back options, providing a stylish left-footed option. Davis, meanwhile, is an assist king at this level, where his lung-busting runs forward have proved so important for Ipswich in the past. Losing a player of their quality at any time would be a blow, let alone without an obvious left-footed replacement for either.

Elkan Baggott does fit the bill but hasn’t got any Championship experience, so those involved at Ipswich would be reluctant to deploy the Indonesian in the midst of a potential title battle.

Cameron Humphreys can cover at full-back but wouldn’t perform as well as a natural left-sided defender, which would also be the case with Ashley Young, who is more suited to right-back. His experience at international level playing on the left might mean that he is seen as the Davis replacement if he is absent for ay significant amount of time at left-back.

An injury to one of Greaves and Davis would be a nightmare scenario for McKenna as a result and could leave the left side of defence as a perfect area for opposition attacks to take advantage of given what would be a real imbalance.

The Tractor Boys haven’t looked excellent during their first four Championship games, so the last thing they would need is an injury crisis in that department.

After recruiting so well in other areas of the squad, the decision not to bring another left-footed operator into the defensive ranks is open for questioning.

If McKenna is lucky, Greaves and Davis will stay fit and the decision not to sign anybody else will be justified. However, it’s unlikely that the Tractor Boys’ boss will want to pin his promotion hopes on chance.

Kieran McKenna will have a chance to reflect during the international break

Much of the pre-season talk going into the 2025/26 Championship campaign saw Ipswich billed as certified contenders for the title and the overall favourites for many.

However, after four games, they are already nine points off Middlesbrough, who head the table, and performances on the pitch haven’t been anything to write home about.

Talent courses through the veins of every operator the Tractor Boys possess, and they have an attack that most managers in the second-tier could only dream of.

That said, making those players tick and work in unison is another task entirely, which McKenna will be well aware of.

Over the international break, the Ipswich boss will have plenty of time to analyse what is currently going wrong for his team and how he can change their fortunes as quickly as possible, all whilst sweating on the bare area of his squad that he cannot afford to suffer any injuries between now and January.