BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin believes Ipswich Town supporters will be diappointed the Championship club failed to sign a striker in January.
It feels harsh saying it because Ipswich Town have not been quiet this month, but by not bringing in a striker many supporters will have felt underwhelmed when the transfer window closed.
Players with guaranteed goals are hard to find in January, especially on the cheap, but Town have had success previously at this time of year. They brought in both Kieffer Moore and George Hirst during winter windows, with both players having a big impact on the club's rise from League One to the Premier League.
Hirst, who joined on loan in January 2023 before making the move to Portman Road permanent, has been struggling to recapture his best form of late, and his main competition comes from Como loanee Ivan Azon, who is also short of goals and experiencing English football for the first time.
There is therefore a popular opinion that a proven number nine could well have been the difference between Kieran McKenna's side achieving play-off football this May, or earning automatic promotion.
However, in the previous runs to promotion, Town's top goalscorers were Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead, neither of whom play at centre forward.
Town have brought in a goal threat in Anis Mehmeti from Bristol City, who at 25 could have a lot to offer the Blues going forward. That said, there is a lot of competition for places in his area of the field.
The loan signing of Dan Neil from Sunderland could be a very shrewd move. The midfielder brings leadership and control, and has been a proven winner at Sunderland. Like Mehmeti, Neil's best years in football ought to be ahead of him, and if the next few months go well he could be in line for an extended stay at Portman Road.
Supporters who feared that double-promotion winner Wes Burns might move on in January can breathe easier. The Welsh international has made an impressive comeback following a near year-long injury lay-off, and appears to be first choice again on the right wing.
Sammie Szmodics has moved on, and his loan switch to Derby County suits all parties. Injuries have blighted the 30-year-old's stay at Ipswich, and he will hope to find his way again under John Eustace with whom he enjoyed good times at Blackburn.
Other outgoing loans in Harry Clarke and Cameron Humphreys have also made sense, with both players enjoying regular game time at Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town respectively, which they would not have received with their parent club.
Category: General Sports
