The blueprint behind Ipswich's rise

[Getty Images] Ipswich's previous recruitment model can be traced back to their four seasons in League One. After guiding Town back to the Championship in 2023, Kieran McKenna admitted the club had made a "conscious decision" not to target overseas players because of the fast and frantic nature of England's third tier. A largely unchanged – but tightly knit – squad then exceeded expectations by finishing second in the Championship in 2023-24, making Ipswich the first side in 12 years to reach the Premier League through back-to-back promotions. At that point, the Blues' hierarchy could have ripped up the modus operandi that had served them so well and pivoted towards more extensive overseas recruitment. Instead, they doubled down on the approach, focusing mainly on emerging domestic talent largely unproven beyond the Championship. A £100m summer spending spree brought Omari Hutchinson, Jack Clarke, Liam Delap, Dara O'Shea and Jacob Greaves to Portman Road – players who had primarily shone in the second tier but were identified as having the potential to develop into established Premier League performers. Mindful that the odds were against survival, Ipswich also targeted players thought unlikely to baulk at remaining part of the project in the event of relegation. [Getty Images] McKenna's 'Championship all-stars' fell well short of safety, finishing second bottom with just 22 points, 16 adrift of 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. But once relegation had been confirmed, the Northern Irishman maintained that recruitment had been in the club's "best long-term interests", a view that has arguably since been vindicated. Despite spending heavily on transfer fees, Ipswich's £77m wage bill was comfortably the Premier League's lowest in 2024-25. That restraint, coupled with a massive boost to TV income and the quick gain made on Liam Delap's move to Chelsea, enabled the club to post a £4m pre-tax profit for the financial year ending in June 2025. Hutchinson's sale to Nottingham Forest later that summer provided another windfall but O'Shea, Clarke, Greaves and January 2025 arrival Jaden Philogene stuck around to play crucial roles as Town secured an immediate return to the top flight. Read more on Ipswich's recruitment model