Mixed emotions as Kieran McKenna knits a new squad together with bright hopes for the season ahead

With the international break coming up this weekend it gives some of the Ipswich Town players a real chance to become accustomed to new members of the squad following the end of the transfer window.

While George Hirst, Sam Szmodics, club captain Dara O’Shea, Jack Taylor and Kasey McAteer will be with the Scotland and Republic of Ireland outfits the bulk of the Tractor Boys will be in Suffolk.

It’s been a dramatic and busy period on the transfer market over the past few weeks with a raft of new players moving out while others move into Portman Road.

Now Kieran McKenna will have to use his utmost managerial skills to turn a new squad into a top Championship team ready to challenge for a quick return to the Premier League.

It’s resulted in a rollercoaster of emotions after back-to-back promotions and then immediate relegation from the top tier.

The same can be said for the cohort of players who defied expectations and became squad mainstays as the team journeyed from League One all the way to the top flight.

Some fans feel there has been an unwarranted mass exodus at Portman Road.

Players that fans had grown fond of as their team soared to the top of the footballing pyramid are no longer there.

The shake-up has left some feeling disillusioned and upset over the fact the team that brought them so much joy is no longer the one that is taking to the pitch this year.

But that’s modern day football.

Former skipper Sam Morsy, defender Axel Tuanzebe and centre-back Cameron Burgess all left the club for free, joining Kuwait SC, Burnley and Swansea City respectively.

As did Marcus Harness, who had been on loan during the Blues’ Premier League stint, but now plays for Huddersfield Town.

Omari Hutchinson joined Nottingham Forest for a reported fee of £37.5m while Liam Delap moved onto Chelsea for £30m and fan favourite Conor Chaplin has just been loaned to Portsmouth.

Luke Woolfenden, an academy player with more than 200 games for the club, sealed a permanent move to Coventry City.

Elsewhere, Massimo Luongo moved to Millwall and Nathan Broadhead to Wrexham, while Cieran Slicker was loaned to Barnet, Ali Al-Hamadi to Luton, Chieo Ogbene, who missed most of last season with a serious injury, loaned to Sheffield United, and goalkeeper Arijanet Muric has also been loaned to Sassuolo of Italy.

As much as there has been a great deal of outgoings, the club has also brought in a raft of new players, including Marcelino Nunez from East Anglian rivals Norwich City.

Veteran full-back Ashley Young, who is now 40 years old, also joined Ipswich Town ahead of the new season.

Added to those two are Cedric Kipre, from French club Reims and Azor Matusiwa, also from Ligue 1 Rennes, Jens Cajuste back again for another season from Napoli, McAteer from Leicester, Chuba Akpom from Lille, Darnell Furlong from WBA, Spanish striker Iván Azón from Italian club Como and Norwegian international striker Sindre Walle Egeli, from Danish club FC Nordsjælland in a deal reportedly worth approximately €20 million, potentially rising further through performance-based add-ons. The transfer represents the highest incoming sums in EFL Championship history.

So can the masterful McKenna knit them all together in the squad for the 2025/26 Championship season and get a winning run underway?

That’s the burning question fans will want to be a positive “yes” starting with the next game – a home clash live on Sky TV on Friday, September 12, kick off 8pm.