Ipswich Town Dealt Major Transfer Blow

Ipswich Town have been dealt a transfer blow this week as Bournemouth Head Coach Andoni Iraola admits that there is still a chance Kieffer Moore could have a future at The Vitality Stadium, according to a report by the Bournemouth Echo.

Moore spent the second half of last season on loan at Portman Road, helping them clinch promotion back to the Premier League with his seven goals in 18 appearances. However, the striker still has one year left on his deal with The Cherries after joining from Cardiff City in January 2022.

The 31-year-old is a prolific goal scorer in the EFL and has shown he has the capabilities to get goals in the Premier League as well. Those impressive numbers have led the Bournemouth boss to praise his returning loanee.

“I am very happy. I am sure he has showed he can score goals. He is a very good number nine,” the Spaniard told the Bournemouth Echo.

However, he went on to admit that breaking into the first team as a regular starter is difficult for strikers due to the consistently strong form that Dominic Solanke has shown since Iraola’s appointment last summer, even admitting that Enes Unal, who joined the South Coast outfit from Spanish club Getafe struggled to get ahead of his English counterpart.

“But it is very difficult, even for Enes. Enes is doing very well, and it is difficult for me to give him more minutes, because right now, we have Dom Solanke. Dome is playing so well that he is not giving a lot of chances to the other number nines.”

If this does mean that Bournemouth wish to keep hold of the Welshman, then it is likely Ipswich will need to look elsewhere this summer. Although they have striker options in their ranks, a proven Premier League forward may still be wanted by Kieran McKenna.

Writer’s View

The quotes from Iraola can be read both ways and ultimately, it seems like the future of his number nines is down to whether they can and will be keeping Solanke going into the next campaign.

Therefore, even if they do let Moore go this summer, it would likely be later in the window, and it seems unrealistic to assume that McKenna and his staff would wait that long before signing a top-flight ready striker. Thus, Ipswich fans may need to wave goodbye to any hopes of making the Welshman’s loan deal permanent.