Ipswich Town Could Make Summer Signing On One Condition

Ipswich Town have been left impressed by Omari Hutchinson’s loan spell at Portman Road this season and could make a deal permanent for the Chelsea youngster depending on one key factor.

When Kieran McKenna took charge of the Tractor Boys two-and-a-half seasons ago, the East Anglian outfit had been languishing in League One for several years and found themselves uncomfortably close to the bottom half of the table.

In the past, the board had gone down the route of appointing experienced managers with a history of winning promotions, such as Paul Cook and Mick McCarthy. McKenna was the opposite of both these men, having never been in charge of a first-team squad in his entire coaching career.

It was a massive risk for the board to hand McKenna the job, but one which has proven to be a masterclass. In his first full season at Portman Road, the Northern Irishman clinched promotion by finishing second in England’s third tier, missing out on the title by three points.

However, against all the odds, Ipswich Town managed to repeat this feat in the 2023/24 campaign, finishing one point behind eventual champions Leicester City to return to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

The 37-year-old coach was able to put together a squad capable of fighting for promotion using several loan players. The likes of Kieffer Moore, Jeremy Sarmiento and Omari Hutchinson came in and performed incredibly well to help guide the club back to the top-flight.

The latter was particularly impressive. The 21-year-old made 50 appearances this season for the Tractor Boys, scoring 11 goals and recording six assists, but with his stint now over, Hutchinson will return to Stamford Bridge.

When asked recently about what the ideal present would be ahead of his 38th birthday next week, McKenna replied: “Omari”.