A year after making their way back to the second division, Ipswich Town has had a season to remember in the Championship, with the Tractor Boys poised to be one of the season’s great tales.
As the 23/24 campaign nears its conclusion, Kieran McKenna’s team is just three wins away from making history by returning to the top flight. Their fate is in their own hands.
Their first season back at the top table in over 20 years would be marked with promotion to the Premier League, and every player on the team is working together to get over the finish line and become legends in Town history.
Despite a season full of memorable moments, McKenna will have to work hard during the summer to hang onto the players who were instrumental in the Suffolk side’s ascent to the top. One player in particular is probably going to be in great demand.
Tuanzebe Axel Details of the Ipswich Town deal
After his Manchester United contract expired last summer, Axel Tuanzebe moved to East Anglia and signed a one-year contract with the Tractor Boys upon arriving at Portman Road.
After an incredible second half to the season, locking down the defender to a longer-term contract in Suffolk must be the club’s first goal. The defender does have the option of a one-year extension, which the team can take full use of over the off-season.
Although Town has received a lot of praise for their offensive prowess this season, their outstanding defense has received less recognition, and Tuanzebe has played a key role in those recent performances.
This season, only six clubs have given up more goals than Ipswich, whose 53 goals allowed average at 1.23 goals per game—a negligible amount when you consider how many goals they are scoring at 1.98 goals per game.
With just over 100 professional appearances at the age of 26, injuries have hindered Tuanzebe’s career to date. However, after joining the Tractor Boys’ first squad, he has shown that he is a capable performer at the center of the team.
After making just five appearances for Stoke City in the entire previous season, the summer transfer for the defender would have been considered a bit of a risk, but McKenna, the former Manchester United development coach, has shown faith in him exactly when he needed it most.
Since participating in first-team practices in November, the 26-year-old has returned that loyalty with some noteworthy performances. He has also established himself as a valuable player at the back alongside Cameron Burgess and Luke Woolfenden.
Axel Tuanzebe Ipswich Town Championship stats
Appearances
16
Starts
13
Clean sheets
4
Matches won
10
Points per game played
2.125
As of April 24th, 2024,
The fact that the former Aston Villa loanee has only lost twice in league games this season emphasizes how crucial he is to the Suffolk team when healthy.
Tuanzebe’s versatility makes him an ideal player to have at your disposal. He can play both center back and the right side of defense, and his athleticism and dynamism allow him to mesh in well with McKenna’s schemes.
When he plays right back, his ability to charge down the flank creates problems for opponents as his size and power effectively neutralize the threat of numerous Championship offensive threats.
Cardiff City and Sheffield United are interested in signing Axel Tuanzebe.
Town will want to lock down their defender to as lengthy a contract as they can in the upcoming off-season, since there has been no word on the possibility of a new agreement being discussed or the one-year extension starting to run.
In the event that the Tractor Boys cross the finish line in the coming weeks, Tuanzebe—who has shown himself to be a superb operator at the Championship level—will also fit in with an Ipswich Town team in the Premier League.
Before the defender finally saw a meaningful run of games at Portman Road, Cardiff City (17/01, 13:50) were rumored to be interested in signing him. Sheffield United was also reportedly interested in the defender when he was available in the summer.
The defender has earned the opportunity to be offered a longer contract at Portman Road with a succession of impressive performances in the second part of the season, but it is unclear whether Town would accept that.
If not, a number of Championship teams will be eager to sign him this summer in the event that the one-year extension is not activated. Whoever manages to acquire him will have a top-tier defender at their disposal.