Former Ipswich Town forward Marcus Stewart has suggested that Paul Cook has the credentials to take the Tractor Boys to promotion from League One as he has done with previous clubs.

Cook has already managed to achieve a lot of success as a manager and he has guided Chesterfield and Portsmouth to promotion from League Two, as well as taking Wigan Athletic into the Championship by claiming the third tier title in the 2017/18 campaign. He will now be aiming for a promotion with a fourth different club during his time at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys are facing a massive summer if they are going to be in the position to challenge for promotion. Cook has already been ruthless with the decisions he made over the futures of Ipswich’s out-of-contract players and that has left the room in the squad for changes. While there have already been reports the new owners will back them in the transfer market.

Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times, Stewart insisted that Cook has proven that if given the time and the right resources he can take Ipswich to promotion as he has done with his previous clubs.

He said: "Paul Cook has a history of getting teams out of that league, your Wigans, Portsmouths, teams that have been in the Premier League previously, as Ipswich have of course.

"So, time will tell. But it's still going to be a tough year for him and the club. I still don't think you can expect things to happen overnight.

"Much depends on what players Paul brings in. But he knows the league. Whether its a young player, or one who has played 500 games, trust him, because he's done it before.

"He deserves a chance. It's not going to be a walkover in that league next season, but Paul will know that."

The verdict

You have to agree with Stewart here, Cook is a manager that has proven that he can lead a club to promotion if he is given the right sort of financial help in the transfer market. It does seem like Ipswich are now prepared to offer him that and that means that he will be able to build a squad full of players he fees can take them to the next level.

Cook is also adept at handling the pressure of taking a club out of a league that they feel pressured to get out of. That came during his time in League Two with Portsmouth, and he managed to do what others before him had struggled to achieve and take them over the line in the promotion race.

You would have to agree that under Cook, Ipswich do have a strong chance of really challenging next season. However, that will not be easy and he will need time to complete the rebuilding of the squad and get new potential arrivals to bed into the rest of the squad. Therefore, the club must remain patient in the opening weeks of the campaign.