Having been promoted from League One last season, Ipswich Town have had a dream start to life back in the Championship, sitting pretty in second place after five matches.
The Tractor Boys won three games on the bounce at the beginning of the campaign, beating Sunderland, Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers while also reaching the third round of the EFL Cup when they will face Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers at Portman Road.
Kieran McKenna left his role as first-team coach at Manchester United eighteen months ago and has already turned the former UEFA Cup winners back into a force, signing some top talents such as Brandon Williams on loan and Axel Tuanzebe on a free from Old Trafford.
Ipswich have won four from five games, losing just once in a 4-3 thriller against Leeds United and are merely a point off of league-leaders Preston North End whom they face in less than a month.
What makes the team’s start even more impressive is that Ipswich Town currently boast a market value of just under £28 million which calculates the entire squad’s worth. Only Huddersfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United are lower than McKenna’s side on Transfermarkt’s list.
Rotherham have the lowest market value in the Championship with £14.4 million which is just over half the total valuation of Ipswich Town but the Millers are outside the relegation places for now.
At the top end of the spectrum, Leicester City (£217 million), Southampton (£213 million) and Leeds United (£180 million) have the most valuable squads in England’s second tier.
Top of the table Preston’s market value rests at £39.1 million which is the ninth-lowest in the division. Both Preston and Ipswich Town are above all three of the recently relegated sides (who received parachute payments) with astronomical market valuations.
Writer’s View
A lot can change over the course of a 46-game campaign but it’s certainly encouraging to see two exciting teams battle against juggernauts with market values of nearly ten times the amount who have been handed parachute payments for their troubles upon relegation from the top-flight.
Both Ipswich and Preston play very attractive brands of football, guided by two high-potential head coaches and will be hoping that their seasons don’t peter out in uninspiring fashion.
Sunderland and Coventry City last term are wonderful examples of what can be achieved when a manager gets a tune out of the players at his disposal in such an unforgiving league.
