Ipswich Town will need to be a stronger defensive unit moving up to the Premier League, having leaked 57 goals last campaign on the way to promotion being sealed.
The unbelievable attackers at Kieran McKenna's disposal last campaign made sure that any weaknesses at the back weren't too much of an issue in the Championship, but when facing off against higher-quality teams in the top league of English football, there will be nowhere to hide for the Tractor Boys backline if they're porous again.
There have been a number of defensive additions this summer already at Portman Road, with Jacob Greaves, Ben Johnson and Conor Townsend all entering the fray, but another new centre-back looks to be on the Ipswich agenda.
Ipswich planning Championship raid
As per Ipswich-based website TWTD, the newly promoted side are keen on adding top Sheffield United asset Anel Ahmedhodžić to their ranks before the close of the transfer window, as bringing in more defensive recruits to strengthen remains a top priority.
A senior international for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national side, Ahmedhodžić could well fancy a move back up to the Premier League himself, having been recently relegated to the Championship with Chris Wilder's Blades.
A move to Suffolk would give the United number 15 an opportunity to impress back in the elite division, having struggled there last season for his current South Yorkshire employers, with just one clean sheet managed from 31 contests.
What Ahmedhodžić can offer Ipswich
Ahmedhodžić's form in the Championship shows there is a lot of promise there for him to eventually become a forceful defender up a league, and with Ipswich mainly recruiting gems from the second tier so far this summer, in the hope they'll come good this campaign to come, he does fit in with what they've already stockpiled.
Popping up with many important goals for the Blades too when coming up from the back, he could shine alongside Leif Davis, who is as much of an asset to McKenna going forward, as he is lining up as a traditional full-back.
It would be harsh to single Ahmedhodžić out for his side's torrid Premier League season and instantly deem him not suitable for a move back up to the top flight, as the Blades shipped a terrible 104 strikes as an overall collective.
The Bosnian defender will want to make sure that he only has one relegation tainting his other impressive CV playing in England, with the 6 foot 5 titan crucial throughout his side's promotion-winning exploits during the 2022/23 campaign, away from last season's woes.
Games played
34
Goals scored
6
Assists
2
Big chances missed
3
Big chances created
4
Shots*
1.1
Touches*
52.7
Interceptions*
1.8
Tackles*
2.1
Clearances*
2.9
Clean sheets
16
Glancing at the table above, the £30k-per-week defender – as per Capology – was a key performer for the Blades on the way to automatic promotion being secured, with a sublime six goals managed even as a centre-back, on top of completing his defensive duties valiantly with 16 clean sheets tallied up from just 34 contests played.
Even when he has struggled for his recently relegated side in the past, Wilder has always been complimentary, labelling Ahmedhodžić as a "great competitor" when he was previously linked with a move to Napoli, even as United sat bottom of the Premier League pile.
Davis will also aim to be as much of a menace going forward as he was a brave defensive option for the Tractor Boys when moving up to the Premier League, with a jaw-dropping 18 assists managed in league action last campaign.
But, that was also backed up by the former Leeds United man being a reliable presence when helping his side shut up shop, with ten clean sheets managed from 43 clashes.
Of course, the division above is a different beast altogether, but McKenna and Co will pray that his potential new defensive pairing can be a strong one, and Ipswich don't leak 100-plus goals like the Blades fell victim to.
35 caps for England: Ipswich could sign "superb" star who'd be like Morsy
Ipswich Town could ambitiously go after this star to strengthen in midfield.
ByKelan Sarson
