Ipswich Town must push through Man Utd transfer in January: Opinion
Ipswich Town has had an excellent start to the Championship season, sitting in second place with 28 points.
Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams has performed well for Ipswich, scoring two goals and showing promise defensively.
Ipswich should consider a permanent deal for Williams in January to secure his future at the club and potentially save money on a higher transfer price later.
Heading into the second international break of the season, Ipswich Town fans couldn’t have wished for a better start to the Championship season
The Tractor Boys were promoted from League One in style last season, but many may have expected them to struggle to continue to play in that certain style a league above.
However, Kieran McKenna has proved it can happen and has done it with more or less the same squad as last season.
Ipswich are sitting in second place with 28 points, two behind leaders Leicester City and already eight ahead of third-place Preston North End.
| Championship Table (As it stands w/c October 9th) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 11 | 17 | 30 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 11 | 12 | 28 |
| 3 | Preston North End | 11 | -2 | 20 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 11 | 8 | 19 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 11 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 11 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Norwich City | 11 | 2 | 17 |
| 8 | Cardiff City | 11 | 2 | 17 |
It has been an excellent start for the club, and one player who has been a part of that success has been Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams.
How has Brandon Williams performed for Ipswich Town so far this season?
Williams found himself way down the pecking order at Man United last season, making just one appearance for the club, and that came as a late cameo in the EFL Cup.
The defender did appear heavily in the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, but it came as no surprise when it was made clear that the Premier League side were willing to let the defender leave the club either on a permanent or temporary basis.
Williams’ exit from Old Trafford was agreed upon, and he joined Ipswich on loan for the 2023/24 season.
The 23-year-old has played 10 times for the Tractor Boys so far since joining the club, and while he has yet to nail down a regular spot, he has been producing good performances for the club. Williams has already scored two goals for the club, with them coming against Huddersfield Town and Preston North End in the last three games.
Williams seems to be finding his way again at Portman Road, and with his future looking more and more away from Old Trafford, the January transfer window could be a time Ipswich look to agree a further deal with Man United.
Why should Ipswich Town look to agree to a permanent deal for Brandon Williams in January?
As mentioned, it seems likely that after this loan spell at Ipswich, Man United are going to be looking to let Williams leave the club on a permanent basis.
The Red Devils have suffered an injury crisis of their own and could have easily decided to keep the 23-year-old at the club for the season. However, they didn’t, and that probably should show where he stands in Erik ten Hag’s plans.
Williams has only been at Portman Road for a short time, but he has so far performed relatively well. The defender has grabbed a couple of goals, but in his defensive work, he is averaging 1.4 tackles per game, as well as 1.1 interceptions and 0.4 clearances.
Furthermore, he is averaging 25.8 passes per game, of which 82% are considered successful, and 0.4 of those passes have been key ones, as per WhoScored.com.
So, with his performances seemingly getting better and better, Ipswich could be wise in looking to make the temporary switch a permanent one this January. That is because Williams looks to be the perfect fit in McKenna’s team, and if the 23-year-old keeps performing well, he could return to Old Trafford at the end of this season, with his price tag higher than it is now.
So, even though Ipswich won’t have sealed promotion in January, adding Williams to their squad on a permanent basis would be very wise, whether they are in the top flight next season or not. But doing the deal in January could potentially save them a few millions of pounds, as the summer could see Man United increase the transfer price.
Furthermore, McKenna being at Ipswich will give the club pulling power when it comes to signing Williams, and if the manager were to leave at the end of this season, it could scupper any chance they have of keeping the player on a permanent basis.
