NEW IPSWICH TOWN DEAL DONE…Kieran McKenna signed for Ipswich Town

NEW IPSWICH TOWN DEAL DONE…Kieran McKenna signed for Ipswich Town

Sammie Szmodics joined Ipswich Town from Blackburn Rovers despite interest from Leeds United this summer, and his recent comments will have Leeds fans wincing.

It didn’t always look like Szmodics was going to leave Rovers, with reports suggesting that they were keen on tying him down to a new lucrative deal. But his performances from last season were always going to attract heavy attention, making it difficult to retain his services.

Szmodics departed Ewood Park following an incredible 2023/24 campaign in which he won the Championship Golden Boot, and prevented the club being relegated to League One thanks to his exploits. He led the Championship for goals last season with 27, and it meant his price point was initially set at £20 million by Blackburn, according to EADT.

Nick Mashiter of the BBC stated that Town would be unwilling to pay an inflated fee for Szmodics. Negotiations over the move had dragged on for close to a month, with Ipswich, at one point, becoming annoyed at the length of time the negotiations were taking.

Eventually a deal was struck, with the 28-year-old leaving a parting gift of a goal against Derby County on the opening weekend of the season, before heading to the Premier League in a deal that could rise to £11 million through add-ons.

Blackburn were reluctant to sell the player to a team in the same division, amid interest from Leeds and Sheffield United. Szmodics also had a desire to play in the Premier League, which was eventually met. The Tractor Boys landed one of their key targets after managing to seal this deal.

A goal Szmodics scored that was popular among Blackburn and Ipswich fans alike came at Elland Road on April 13th. It inflicted Leeds’ first defeat all season at home, but it was a significant goal in their opponent’s bid to survive, whilst also having a huge impact on Ipswich’s automatic promotion hopes in the process.

Szmodics has since revealed McKenna’s first act after he joined the club. Speaking via TWTD, the forward said: “When I signed at Ipswich and had the first meeting in this room with the manager.

“He welcomed me to the team and said we’ve got a clip to show of Sam and he showed that goal,” Szmodics recalled.

“It obviously helped with Ipswich’s push for promotion and made a lot of Ipswich fans very happy.”

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