Ipswich Town were given another reminder of the mammoth task they face in the second half of the season when Manchester City visit Portman Road on Sunday.
The Tractor Boys are in the relegation zone but are close to Wolverhampton Wanderers and their efforts to climb to safety have not been boosted by their clash with Pep Guardiola’s side.
Kieran McKennaHis men were dismissed with relative ease as the champions secured a 6-0 victory, with the scoreline confident enough to see Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland off the pitch with 30 minutes to go.
The January transfer window is open for business though, meaning they have the chance to add more quality to the squad in a bid to avoid relegation straight to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Ipswich have already brought in two new reinforcements Premier League experience. Ben Godfrey arrived on loan from Atalanta and Jaden Philogdene signed a permanent contract from Aston Villa.
However, the Tractor Boys are now reportedly interested in signing the player who played Championship football in the 2023/24 season.
Ipswich’s interest in Dinamo Ligue 1
According to the French newspaper L’EquipeIpswich are one of a number of clubs looking to sign Rennes central midfielder Glen Kamara this month.
The report claims a return to England is on the cards for the former Arsenal academy graduate, who only signed for Ligue 1 club Leeds United last summer.
Several teams are said to be battling to secure his services for the second half of the season, including Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Southampton and Turkish side Trabzonspor.
The publication adds that Trabzonspor is currently the most active team in the race, as they want to overtake him in front of interested parties from England.
It shows that Ipswich will face plenty of competition to sign the Finland international before the end of the January transfer window, meaning they may have to act quickly if they are to bring him to Portman Road.
Focus transfer
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big name failures. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across the Football FanCast.
L’Equipe, however, does not reveal whether Rennes will send or not £30k a week jewel on loan or if they would prefer to sell him permanently, while there is also no mention of any potential transfer fee for the former Rangers star.
Whether on loan or a permanent move, Ipswich’s interest in Kamara in the January transfer window will be bad news for club captain Sam Morsy, who plays in his position.
Sam Morsy’s form this season
Ipswich’s rapid rise from League One to the Premier League, with back-to-back promotions, saw several players essentially make the jump from the Third Division to the First Division within 18 months or so.
This meant that several stars from the side that won promotion to League One and the Championship failed to successfully make the step up to the Premier League.
Morsy wasn’t a complete disaster in the top flight as he was at least a consistent starter for McKenna – starting 19 of his 20 appearances – instead of being moved or left on the bench week after week.
The Egyptian representative did 3.2 Knockdowns and interceptions per game, trying to provide a combative presence in the middle of the park, but he also committed almost as many fouls (1.9) as tackles (2.2) on average per game.
|
24/25 Premier League |
Sam Morsy |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
20 |
|
He slipped through |
26x |
|
The mistake led to the shooting |
4 |
|
Penalties awarded |
1 |
|
Duel success rate |
48% |
As you can see in the table above, Morsy lost most of his physical battles in the Premier League and was too error-prone, with four errors directly leading to shots for the opposition.
The 33-year-old veteran, who regularly dribbled in midfield, should therefore be worried about the new arrival in his position, as it could affect his playing time.
Why Ipswich should sign Glen Kamara
Ipswich should look to win the race for Kamara before the window officially closes at the end of next month as he could come in as an upgrade on Morsy in the middle of the park.
The Finnish international may be more suited to what the Tractor Boys need in midfield as they try to avoid relegation from the Premier League, due to his strength in duels and his assurance in possession.
Neil McCann, his former boss at Dundee, once described the midfielder as “made of iron” and his physical stats for Leeds and Rennes help confirm that, as he was winning 58% of their duels on the ground in Ligue 1 this season and won 58% of their battles in the championship last term.
The 29-year-old ace has only started eight times in the French first division, completing 91% of his attempted passes without error leading to shots for the opposition, but caught the eye as a regular in England in the 2023/24 season.
|
Championship 23/24 |
Glen Kamara |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
37 |
|
Adding accuracy |
93% |
|
He slipped through |
15x |
|
The mistake led to the shooting |
0 |
|
Penalties awarded |
0 |
|
Duel success rate |
58% |
As you can see in the table above, Kamara’s form for Rennes and Leeds shows that he is incredibly confident in possession and rarely gives the ball away, while Morsy has made four mistakes that have directly led to shots this season.
That suggests the Finnish maestro could offer more quality in possession than the Ipswich captain, using his technical ability to keep the ball up for the Blues.
Kamara is also harder for opposition players to tackle in midfield, as shown by his winning 58% of duels and just 15 dribbles last season, suggesting he could also be an upgrade on Morsy off the ball.
Connected
All in all, the former Leeds player has the quality, in and out of possession, to step in and take over Morsy’s role as a regular starter in the middle of the park, which is why the club’s interest in him is bad news for the Ipswich captain, who could find himself on the sidelines in the second half of the season. benches.
