How Ipswich Town, Celtic and Crystal Palace dodged same QPR transfer bullet | OneFootball

Ipswich Town rivalled Celtic and Crystal Palace for Jake Clarke-Salter back in 2024, but the interested parties all dodged a transfer bullet.

Ipswich Town haven't been shy in spending money on players both in the Championship and whilst they were briefly in the Premier League last season.

The Tractor Boys forked out sizeable transfer fees on the likes of Sindre Walle Egeli and Kasey McAteer during the 2025/26 season, and the Portman Road faithful will be eager to see those additions play their part in the battle to return to the top-flight.

Ipswich have also had their fair share of players that they've missed out on over the years, and some of those players have gone on to bigger and better things, whilst others have struggled to kick on from the hype that generated interest from the Tractor Boys in the first place.

One of those that has struggled to build on some impressive showings originally is Jake Clarke-Salter, with the QPR defender previously being linked with a move to Portman Road.

At the time, Ipswich were preparing for life in the Premier League, after winning promotion from the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.

However, a move for Clarke-Salter failed to materialise for one reason or another, and it's safe to say that Ipswich won't be too disheartened with missing out on the defender with hindsight.

Jake Clarke-Salter impressed initially with QPR

Clarke-Salter came through the ranks of Chelsea's youth team in the early stages of his career, but only went on to make one appearance for the Blues' first-team.

The centre-back spent time on loan with the likes of Sunderland, Birmingham City, and Coventry City whilst with Chelsea, and he seemingly made a good impression on other EFL clubs, with QPR signing Clarke-Salter on a four-year deal in the summer of 2022.

The 28-year-old went on to feature regularly for QPR in his first season with the club, but he hasn't quite kicked on to the level that he would have originally hoped for.

His strong showings in the first couple of seasons with QPR saw Clarke-Salter attracting interest from Ipswich Town, Celtic, and Crystal Palace, and a move to the Premier League would have surely been tempting for the defender.

Ipswich, Celtic & Crystal Palace dodged the transfer bullet

Despite initially catching the eye for all the right reasons with QPR in the early stages of his time with the London-based side, Clarke-Salter has flattered to deceive at times since.

The 6'2" defender has been restricted to just nine senior appearances for QPR in this year's Championship campaign, with a hip injury hampering his regular minutes in the team.

He made just 14 appearances in all competitions in the 2024/25 season as well, with a calf injury, and that recurring hip problem keeping the former Chelsea man out of action for the majority of the campaign.

Ipswich went on to sign Jacob Greaves, Ben Godfrey and Dara O'Shea in the same transfer window instead, and although Godfrey's loan move wasn't the most successful, Greaves and O'Shea were strong options to have in Kieran McKenna's squad.

The pair have featured regularly for Ipswich this season, and will still have a key role to play in the Tractor Boys' push for promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Looking back, Ipswich, Celtic, and Crystal Palace certainly won't regret not getting an agreement over the line for Clarke-Salter. He simply hasn't kicked on whilst with QPR since that transfer interest from other clubs. That's not his own fault though, with injuries being the main reason as to why his minutes have been dramatically restricted despite coming into his peak years.

Clarke-Salter, for now, will be hoping that he can force his way back into Julien Stephan's plans on a more regular basis, and finding that form that once put him on the radar of sides at a lofty level.