In this article, we’re looking at Ipswich Town’s midfielders and forwards from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
You can read our articles on the Tractor Boys’ manager and defence via the links below.
- READ MORE: FPL promoted teams: O’Neil to lead Ipswich on top-flight return
- READ MORE: FPL promoted teams: Who appeals in Ipswich’s defence?
To provide a fan’s perspective, we’ve included insights from Ivan Fisher, aka FPL Reuser on X.
Data comes from StatsBomb, Opta, Fotmob and WhoScored.
WHAT IS IPSWICH’S GOAL-SCORING POTENTIAL IN FPL?
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | CS | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall record | 46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 17 | 84 |
| Home | 23 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 43 | 17 | +26 | 10 | 50 |
| Away | 23 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 7 | 34 |
Ipswich arrive in the Premier League after scoring the third-most goals in the Championship (80).
This tally was 17 shy of champions Coventry City, but 10 more than play-off winners Hull City.
Crucially, they provided plenty of opportunities for their attackers to deliver, sitting third for Opta expected goals (xG):
It is important to mention that Ipswich were awarded 10 penalties, four more than any other Championship side.
Even so, after a slow start, they were pretty consistent with their ability to create chances, which is captured below.
Above: Ipswich’s six-match rolling expected goals (xG) chart in 2025/26
As for set-pieces, they ranked mid-table for goals scored (12), but went up to fourth for xG from dead-ball situations.
THE PLAYERS
2025/26: APPS, GOALS AND ASSISTS
| Player | Primary position in 2025/26 | Starts (sub apps) | Mins | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Clarke | LW | 23 (23) | 2,382 | 16 | 1 |
| Jaden Philogene | LW | 24 (11) | 1,997 | 12 | 2 |
| George Hirst | CF | 25 (17) | 2,113 | 11 | 3 |
| Marcelino Nunez | AM | 24 (12) | 2,167 | 3 | 7 |
| Ivan Azon* | CF | 20 (18) | 1,794 | 5 | 4 |
| Sindre Walle Egeli | RW | 18 (10) | 1,481 | 4 | 2 |
| Kasey McAteer | RW | 14 (14) | 1,256 | 3 | 1 |
| Azor Matusiwa | CM | 45 | 3,861 | 1 | 3 |
| Jens Cajuste* | CM | 13 (17) | 1,194 | 1 | 3 |
| Jack Taylor | CM | 24 (15) | 2,157 | 2 | 1 |
| Anis Mehmeti | AM | 11 (7) | 1,029 | 2 | 1 |
| Wes Burns* | RW | 9 (9) | 799 | 2 | 1 |
| Chuba Akpom | AM | 7 (22) | 888 | 2 | 0 |
| Sam Szmodics* | AM | 8 (8) | 677 | 1 | 0 |
| Dan Neil* | CM | 8 (8) | 662 | 0 | 0 |
| Conor Chaplin* | AM | 1 (3) | 133 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Humphreys | CM | 0 (3) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Chiedozie Ogbene** | RB | 1 (1) | 96 | 0 | 0 |
| Ali Al Hamadi | RW | 0 (1) | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathan Broadhead* | AM | 0 (1) | 22 | 0 | 0 |
**Ogbene is more of a winger, but played most of his minutes at right-back in 2025/26
GOAL THREAT
Firstly, there was a lot of rotation across the forward spots, with none of the Ipswich attackers making more than 25 starts.
A lot of their goals came from wide areas, with Jack Clarke (£5.5m) the top scorer (16 goals).
But he only took the fifth-most shots (51), with Ivan Azon leading the way (79), followed by Marcelino Nunez (£5.0m, 69), Jaden Philogene (£5.5m, 67) and George Hirst (£5.0m, 65).
Azon has since returned to Como this summer, from where he was on loan.
Former Aston Villa winger Philogene was Ipswich’s second top-scorer, with 12 goals, although he has been linked with a move away in recent weeks, so that’s a mooted transfer to monitor.
As for Hirst, he offers work rate, pressing and decent link-up play, but it’s debatable if he is Premier League level, having scored only three goals and supplied one assist from five starts and 21 substitute appearances in his previous top-flight stint.
It’s no surprise, then, that Ipswich have already strengthened in this department with the arrival of Brazilian striker Emersonn (£5.5m) from Toulouse, plus attacking midfielders Abdul Fatawu (£5.5m) and Daizen Maeda (£5.5m).
ASSIST POTENTIAL
Nunez transitioned from a deeper role into a No 10 last season, showing his creative qualities with seven assists and 63 key passes.
But with Ipswich set to complete the signing of Julio Enciso, his own game-time prospects look bleak.
Clarke produced just one assist, but his 4.99 xG assisted tally suggests he was unlucky not to supply more.
Azor Matusiwa (£5.0m) ranked third, with three assists from 32 key passes.
DEFCON POTENTIAL
And it’s Matusiwa, the Dutch ball-winning midfielder who arrived from Rennes for £7.8m, who carries real DefCon potential.
He racked up more interceptions than any other Championship midfielder last season, averaging 11.75 DefCons per 90 minutes (below image from Fotmob):
You’d imagine that figure rises further as his team swaps promotion party for relegation fight.
He had to undergo thigh surgery in May, so we’ll have to see what shape he is in ahead of Gameweek 1.
It also remains to be seen if he’ll play alongside new signing Luis Florentino (£5.0m) or have to compete with him for one spot. Florentino is himself a bit of a DefCon magnet.
FINAL WORD
Ipswich have already signed a new striker in Emersonn. He will likely compete with Hirst for a place in the starting lineup, but given his newness to the league (and rather modest goal record to this point), it is advisable to adopt a wait-and-see approach.
As for Clarke and Philogene (if he stays), they can both be effective wide threats, but it’s debatable whether or not either player can produce goals and assists on a regular basis in the Premier League. They have a new positional rival in Maeda, too. The Japanese attacker first needs to prove himself south of the border, having stat-padded in Scotland.
- READ MORE: Who is new Ipswich attacker Maeda?
“The good news is that despite the lack of firepower in the striker position, two players did deliver 28 goals and three assists between them. The even better news for FPL is that they are both midfielders. The less good news is that Jaden Philogene (12 goals and two assists) and Jack Clarke (16 goals and one assist – including six penalties) both play in the same position and have not yet demonstrated that they can replicate these performances in the Premier League. Both talented, technically gifted left wingers with an eye for goal, the hope is that they can continue their development under their new manager, but concerns about their strength and physicality remain. Nonetheless, on the assumption that Ipswich under O’Neil will be reliant on quick, vertical transitions, they are certainly ones to monitor in pre-season and could potentially make the step up.” – FPL Reuser
On the strength of pre-season so far, Fatawu will probably be one of the first names on the teamsheet as a right winger. He was very keen to shoot in the second tier, racking up more efforts than any other Championship player in 2025/26.
Matusiwa and/or Florentino have DefCon potential and, if playing, should tick over most weeks even without any attacking returns, potentially offering value at just £5.0m. There are still doubts around the former’s availability for Gameweek 1, however, having failed to feature in pre-season so far.
“… potentially of interest from a defensive perspective is Azor Matusiwa in central midfield (“the Dutch Kante”). He comes in at a budget price and could excel in a solid, pragmatic and well-organised Gary O’Neil set-up, offering plenty of DefCon potential.” – Ivan
In summary, then, it’s probably a wait-and-see on all of the Ipswich midfield/forward options:
“It is likely that the Ipswich squad that starts the new season will be largely unrecognisable from the squad that achieved promotion last season. And with Gary O’Neil replacing Kieran McKenna, it is likely to be a squad steeped in pragmatism rather than expression and flair. Nonetheless, while many fans may see the appointment as uninspiring, there is a world in which O’Neil is able to take the essence of what has been built over the McKenna years and strengthen and solidify it to meet the demands of the Premier League. For FPL however, it is very much a wait-and-see. New faces. New tactics. A new era.” – Ivan
