Exclusive: David Prutton tips £20m Ipswich Town star for “massive” Kieran McKenna impact in 25/26.

Ipswich Town will be determined to return to the Premier League at the first opportunity in the 2025/26 Championship season, having been relegated along with newly promoted Leicester City and Southampton.

Under popular head coach Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys defied the odds to win consecutive promotions from League One to the top flight, but they have yet to seriously threaten survival this season.

Indeed, Ipswich have only won four of their 35 games; their 22 points leave them 15 points behind 17th-placed West Ham United, and a 3-0 thrashing away to Newcastle at the end of the previous month mathematically confirmed the club’s relegation with four games remaining.

However, there is a school of thought that, of the three sides that have suffered immediate relegation back to the Championship, Ipswich may just be the best-placed to go again and stamp their authority in the second-tier. They are the only one of the relegated trio that has not changed managers this season, demonstrating unwavering faith and patience in McKenna, and are expected to keep the majority of the playing squad, many of whom either helped the Tractor Boys to promotion last year or were acquired in the summer after flourishing with other Championship clubs.

Ipswich may have had one eye on the Championship next season when they signed Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves, Sammie Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Jack Clarke last summer, before adding Jaden Philogene in the January transfer window.

Philogene returned to Aston Villa in the first half of the current season after earning widespread interest following his 12-goal haul for Hull City in 23/24. Ipswich, who had courted him the previous summer, were not deterred and signed him for a reported £20 million deal at Portman Road.

To date, the former England youth international has had a mixed bag of experiences at Ipswich. He scored an emphatic brace at Old Trafford in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United in only his third Premier League start for McKenna’s side in February, but like many others, he has struggled for consistency and has had his season cut short due to injury.

However, there is great anticipation for the success that second-tier proven talent like Philogene could bring to Suffolk the next time around.

David Prutton drops Jaden Philogene; Ipswich Town prediction for 25/26

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert David Prutton believes Philogene will have a “massive” impact for Ipswich next season, making them the best-placed side to compete for promotion in 25/26.

Prutton believes that the collective Championship experience of Ipswich’s squad should put the club in a good position to reignite once more.

“He [Philogene] was very good at this level in the past, wasn’t he?” Prutton informed FLW.

“Collectively, this squad has fallen short in the Premier League; I don’t think that’s a major disappointment given the size of the clubs they face week in and week out.

“They appear to be on solid financial footing. They have some assets; the big question is whether they will keep players like [Liam] Delap, who is an excellent football player.

“But Jaden could be a huge part of whatever success Ipswich Town achieves next season.

“I believe the squad’s real nucleus, despite being a year older, will serve them well.” They understand what it means to finish the marathon that is the Championship and cross the finish line.

“I think right now, given the situation of who is in charge of the other two clubs, Leicester and Southampton, and who comes next for them, Ipswich appear fairly settled.

“They appear to be the best-equipped of the three that have arrived so far. However, as we all know, what appears on paper is not always what it takes to win a championship, so only time will tell.”

Ipswich Town’s Jaden Philogene might be unplayable in the Championship next season.

Anyone who saw Philogene at his exhilarating, breathtaking X-Factor best for Hull last season can attest to the kind of influence and magic he can create at this level.

The Villa academy product provided a consistent goal threat at the MKM Stadium and developed into a more well-rounded player after an impressive season on loan with Cardiff City the previous year.

Although Philogene’s season with Villa and Ipswich has not gone as planned, it has been a stop-start one that he will be eager to put behind him and resume exactly where he left off. There is no denying the tricky winger’s talent; his ability to beat a man on the inside, outside, or in just about any way he wants, at almost any time, is remarkable.

Philogene possesses true star quality and could have a significant impact on Ipswich next season.

The 23-year-old may not have accumulated enough top-flight experience to convince clubs that he deserves to stay in the Premier League, but it would be difficult to bet against him lighting up the Championship as part of another formidable Town side under McKenna.

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