Ipswich Town tipped to offload Conor Chaplin permanently on one clear condition | OneFootball

Striker Conor Chaplin left Portman Road for Pompey on deadline day, in a move that could spell the end of his Ipswich journey

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Ipswich Town striker Conor Chaplin agreed to join Portsmouth on a season-long loan at the beginning of September.

The 28-year-old started his career with Pompey, spending 11 years in their academy system before breaking into the first team, and then setting his sights on pastures new.

But with loanees Chuba Akpom and Ivan Azon, along with striker George Hirst, all vying for the no.9 position, it was clear Chaplin’s minutes could be affected, and he opted to return to Portsmouth for more minutes.

We asked our Ipswich fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, whether he believes Chaplin will be permanently offloaded at the end of the season, should the Tractor Boys be promoted back to the Premier League.

Ipswich Town are building without Conor Chaplin

Speaking to Football League World, Adam said: “Sadly, I can't see Conor Chaplin being around if Town get promoted to the Premier League.

“We have strengthened in that area a lot, albeit with Chuba Akpom as a loan, and a couple of other loans in the central striking spot.

“I think that he wants to go and play football. Portsmouth have offered him a great opportunity to do that.

“We do have an option [to extend Chaplin’s contract] so that we'd get money for him at the end of this year, were he to leave.

“I think we're now building a side without him. I don't think he did too badly in the Premier League, and I think he could play in the Premier League, but I think if you're looking to really give survival a good go and kick on and do what Sunderland have started to do this season, then Conor Chaplin probably doesn't have a space in the team.

“But hopefully we can get good value for him because he is a quality Championship player. He's definitely a top-six side Championship player at the very least.”

A separation may be best for Ipswich and Portsmouth

There is no doubt that Chaplin is a solid Championship option, having netted 13 goals and provided nine assists on the Tractor Boys route to promotion in the 2023/24 season.

But he failed to kick on in the league above, managing just two goal involvements, albeit with far fewer minutes to his name, on account of injury and also the form of the likes of Liam Delap.

But despite that, he was not Kieran McKenna’s go-to man in the Premier League, despite Chaplin being capable of playing up front, just off the striker, and out on the wing.

It suggests that the manager was unsure of the forward’s suitability for the top tier, an opinion that is unlikely to change if Ipswich do get promoted again.

The deal can still work for Ipswich Town

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, the Tractor Boys have the option to extend Chaplin’s current deal by another year, with it currently being set to expire in the summer.

As Adam notes, that puts Ipswich in the position of being able to hold out for a fee, either in January or next summer, rather than lose the player on a free.

If McKenna is clear that he does not see Chaplin in his future plans, as appears to be the case based on the fact he’s been allowed to go out on loan, then it makes sense for Ipswich to cash out while they can.

Chaplin certainly has the quality to offer a top Championship side something, but it feels like his Portman Road chapter is complete.