Some teams have come up from League One over the years in recent times and gone on to win promotion to the Premier League instantly, with both Southampton and Norwich City achieving that feat in the last 15 years.
Another club who are aiming to do the exact same in 2023-24 is Ipswich Town, and they are definitely going the right way about it.
Kieran McKenna has transformed the Tractor Boys’ fortunes since his appointment in December 2021, leading them to promotion last year despite not winning the third tier title, and their start to the current campaign is perhaps beyond their wildest dreams.
With 11 matches gone, Town are sitting pretty in second position in the table, picking up 28 points out of a possible 33 and have already opened an eight-point gap to third-placed Preston North End.
There are many stars in McKenna’s current Ipswich setup, but the one who has grabbed the most headlines since last season is Conor Chaplin.
Central to the 4-2-3-1 system that McKenna operates, Chaplin scored a mammoth 29 goals last season in all competitions, and his start to 2023-24 has been impressive with five goals scored and two assists notched.
What is Conor Chaplin’s contract situation with Ipswich Town?
When signing for Ipswich back in 2021, Chaplin signed a three-year deal at Portman Road, with the hopes that he could be one of the players to lead the club out of League One finally.
And after the exploits he showed in the second year of his deal in the 2022-23 season, Ipswich had no choice but to try and tie Chaplin down to a new, extended deal.
Supporters were then delighted in June before players came back for pre-season as Chaplin signed a two-year extension to his current deal, which was imperative as he was heading into the final year of his existing contract.
Going into the January transfer window in a few months time therefore, Chaplin still has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, meaning that there will be no rush to sell even if there is interest.
What is Conor Chaplin’s transfer value? Do Ipswich Town need to be worried about potential interest?
Considering Chaplin didn’t really show lots of consistency for Barnsley in his previous Championship stint, it’s hard to gauge what a true valuation is for his talents.
The 26-year-old scored 11 times in his first year with the Tykes but that dropped off considerably in the second season – he’s clearly found himself at Ipswich though with his 29-goal haul in 2022-23.
Players who can score at that level in League One and still not be at their theoretical peak age are obviously going to be worth a lot, and the fact Chaplin is proving himself in the Championship at this current moment will only see his value rise.
Ipswich will probably value the attacking midfielder at over £10 million, but it’s hard to see a Premier League club paying that amount or taking a chance on Chaplin despite how much of a talent he is in front of goal.On top of that, you’d have to question whether the player would want to leave an exciting project like Ipswich and the coach that has him playing the best football of his career.
