Championship all-stars to global gamble – will Ipswich's approach work?

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that newly promoted Ipswich Town are taking a different approach to rebuilding for the Premier League under manager Gary O’Neil. After relying heavily on British and Irish-based players during Kieran McKenna’s spell, the club has broadened its search this summer, with 10 signings totaling £106.6m and several arrivals from outside the UK and Ireland. The paper says this makes Ipswich one of the biggest net spenders in the division so far, behind only Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.

The change in strategy appears to be a response to the size of the jump from the Championship to the Premier League and to Ipswich’s relegation last season. BBC Sport notes that the club’s previous promotion-winning squads were built around familiar domestic talent, but that model left them short in the top flight. Chairman Mark Ashton has said the club must be “a bit braver,” while O’Neil has said Ipswich need players with different qualities from around the world to compete more effectively.

Among the new arrivals are Brazilian striker Emersonn, signed for a club-record fee, Portuguese midfielder Florentino Luis, Serbian midfielder Sasa Lukic and Japanese forward Daizen Maeda. Ipswich have also been linked with Paraguayan attacker Julio Enciso. The article says the focus is on adding athleticism, physicality and more attacking threat, especially in midfield and upfront.

BBC Sport adds, as context, that spending heavily is not a guarantee of survival, though several promoted clubs that invested strongly have stayed up. Ipswich’s challenge is to turn this wider recruitment policy into a squad capable of securing back-to-back Premier League seasons for the first time in 25 years.