Ipswich Town full-back Leif Davis (£4.5m) could potentially be a bargain in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) next season.
He’s the headline act in this look at Ipswich’s goalkeepers and defenders, which forms part of our Promoted series of articles on the sides coming up from the Championship.
A profile of manager Kieran McKenna ran before this piece, with a review of the Ipswich attackers to follow.
To provide a fan’s view, we’ve got insight from Ivan Fisher, aka FPL Reuser on X.
The stats in this piece are taken from WhoScored and FotMob.
WHAT IS IPSWICH’S CLEAN SHEET POTENTIAL?
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | CS | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 46 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 92 | 57 | +35 | 15 | 96 |
| Home | 23 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 59 | 32 | +27 | 6 | 54 |
| Away | 23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 9 | 42 |
Ipswich conceded 57 goals in total, only the seventh-best record in the 2023/24 Championship.
They conceded two or more goals in 39% of their fixtures, with their gung-ho approach to home matches often leaving them exposed.
So, Ipswich will need to strengthen considerably defensively if they are to be competitive during the 2024/25 campaign.
That said, they did post the third-lowest expected goals conceded (xGC) tally in the Championship.
It’s also worth noting only champions Leicester City and Sunderland conceded fewer away goals. In fact, no team kept more clean sheets on the road than Ipswich.
That’s because Kieran McKenna was more inclined to grind out wins away from home, adopting a more cautious/controlled approach.
Meanwhile, Ipswich conceded the second-fewest set play goals, with nine.
“For much of last season, Ipswich employed a “we’ll score more goals than you” approach to matches at Portman Road, often conceding early goals to the opposition (almost to the point where it felt like it was on purpose) leading to some scintillating, highly memorable comeback wins. Away matches were often approached with a view to controlling matches more.
“Nonetheless, despite conceding significantly more goals than the top Championship teams, Ipswich did keep clean sheets in 33% of their matches last season (equal with Leicester), putting them joint fourth in the defensive tables in this respect.
“Whilst defence is absolutely not the first thing that springs to mind with Ipswich, early transfer activity has brought in some significant quality – which will be much needed in the Premier League.” – FPL Reuser
| 23/24 total (rank v other Championship clubs) | 23/24 home total | 23/24 away total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals conceded | 57 (7th) | 32 (=18th) | 25 (3rd) |
| Clean sheets | 15 (=4th) | 6 (=12th) | 9 (=1st) |
| Shots per game conceded | 10.8 (3rd) | 10.0 (5th) | 11.5 (2nd) |
| Expected goals conceded (xGC) | 53.62 (3rd) | 24.76 (=4th) | 28.87 (5th) |
THE PLAYERS
2023/24: APPS, GOALS AND ASSISTS
| Player | Price | Position | Starts (sub apps) | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hladky * | GK | 46 (0) | 0 | 0 | |
| Davis | £4.5m | DL | 43 (0) | 2 | 18 |
| Woolfenden | £4.0m | DC | 40 (1) | 1 | 1 |
| Burgess | £4.0m | DC | 38 (1) | 2 | 1 |
| Clarke | £4.0m | DR | 25 (10) | 1 | 1 |
| Tuanzebe | £4.0m | DC/DR | 16 (2) | 0 | 1 |
| Edmundson | £4.0m | DC | 10 (0) | 0 | 2 |
| Williams * | DR/DL | 8 (7) | 2 | 0 | |
| Donacien | DR | 3 (0) | 0 | 0 |
*No longer at the club
LEIF DAVIS
Creator-in-chief Leif Davis, who’s topped Ipswich’s assist charts for the past two seasons, will cost just £4.5m – making him a potential FPL bargain.
In McKenna’s 4-2-3-1, Davis plays high and wide as a very attacking full-back. His touch heatmap below reflects the way Ipswich use him to keep the width and bomb up and down the left flank.
Above: Leif Davis’ touch heatmap 2023/24, via SofaScore
His role yielded a remarkable 18 assists in 2023/24, the most-ever by a defender in a Championship season.
Davis also produced more key passes than any other player in any position (125), with some of those chances created coming from corners. However, whether it is a dead-ball situation or a cross from open play, his “Trent-esque” deliveries are a major weapon.
| Metric | Total (rank v other Championship players – all positions) |
|---|---|
| Assists | 18 (1st) |
| Chances created | 125 (1st) |
| Accurate crosses | 88 (1st) |
| Expected assists (xA) | 10.5 (=6th) |
In terms of goal threat, two goals also arrived from 31 shots.
There probably won’t be a great deal of interest in Davis at first, with Liverpool and Manchester City in Gameweeks 1/2, but between Gameweeks 3-10, the fixtures pick up.
“Ostensibly a left-back, when in transition, he is given the freedom to rampage up the left wing to form what is essentially a front five. Has a wand of a left foot and can be devastating delivering set-pieces and corners, arguably acting as a left-sided playmaker.
“He smashed the Championship record for assists by a defender (14 – previously held by Kieran Tripper and FPL “great that never was”, Barry Douglas) – equalling their record with 10 games of the season remaining. Potentially laughably priced at £4.5m if Ipswich’s defence is solidified.” – FPL Reuser
ARIJANET MURIC
Ipswich had been on the lookout for a new goalkeeper following the departure of Vaclav Hladky, who left the club having been unable to agree a new contract.
His replacement will be Arijanet Muric (£4.5m), who arrived from Burnley on a four-year deal earlier this week.
The Kosovo international made 10 Premier League starts last year, all in the final couple of months, averaging a surprisingly high 4.7 points per match.
“Arijanet Muric has arrived from Burnley in a £15m deal as a replacement for out of contract Vladmir Hladky. Although best known for his high-profile blunder against Brighton last season, Muric is actually an outstanding goalkeeper and a Manchester City youth team graduate, who is more than able to play with the ball at his feet and is an excellent shot-stopper.
“Making the Championship Team of the Season during Burnley’s promotion season, he was then inexplicably replaced by newcomer James Trafford in the Premier League, before winning his place back with 10 games to go, a period in which he amassed 64 saves and 12 bonus points. A potential bargain second goalkeeper in FPL, if the stars align.” – FPL Reuser
Ex-keeper Hladky’s ability with the ball at his feet was a large part of how Ipswich played out from the back, so Muric should be a good fit.
According to Transfermarkt, he’s saved eight of the 26 penalties he’s faced over his career, too.
Other Ipswich options between the sticks include Christian Walton (£4.5m), who could potentially move on for first-team football, and 21-year-old Cieran Slicker (£4.0m).
OTHER OPTIONS
Luke Woolfenden (£4.0m) and Cameron Burgess (£4.0m) were Ipswich’s first-choice centre-halves in the Championship. The arrival of Jacob Greaves (£4.0m), however, puts the latter’s place in doubt.
The new £15m signing from Hull City is, like Burgess, a left-sided centre-back.
“Jacob Greaves is a highly rated, progressive left-footed CB, who made the Championship Team of the Season for Hull and is tipped as a potential future England international. Costing Ipswich an initial £15m, he is expected to start ahead of Cameron Burgess.” – FPL Reuser
As for Woolfenden, he should start, but there isn’t much goal threat. He recorded only six shots in 2023/24.
Axel Tuanzebe (£4.0m) was mainly used as a right-back/third centre-back in possession, but Ben Johnson (£4.0m) has since arrived from West Ham United, casting doubt over his starting role.
Harry Clarke (£4.0m) is now possibly third in line at right-back, then, despite featuring in 35 Championship games last season.
“Ben Johnson has arrived on a free transfer from West Ham, and is likely to start at RB, competing with Axel Tuanzebe and life-long Ipswich fan Harry Clarke. Versatile enough to play in any position across the back four, he is anticipated to get plenty of minutes throughout the season.” – FPL Reuser
Centre-half George Edmundson (£4.0m) is unlikely to feature, while Elkan Baggott (£4.0m) and Corrie Ndaba (£4.0m) didn’t feature at all in the promotion-winning campaign after spending last season on loan at other clubs.
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