Ipswich Town's form drastically improved under the management of Kieran McKenna this past season since his December appointment, but they were unable to break into the League One play-off places.

This summer though, the Northern Irishman will be aiming to make the necessary additions to allow him team to compete for a top six place in 2022-23.

Recruitment at Portman Road has started off well with the signing of Rotherham United striker Freddie Ladapo, and he has been joined at the Suffolk outfit by Dominic Ball.

Ball has played for Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers for the last three years under Mark Warburton and was a regular for the first two seasons of his time at Loftus Road.

 

 

 

 

The 26-year-old's playing time dwindled in the most recent campaign, but he still racked up 20 appearances in the second tier of English football in 2021-22.

A versatile player who is naturally a midfielder but has covered at right-back and at centre-half, Ball has worked alongside McKenna in Tottenham Hotspur's academy, meaning that Ipswich's head coach knows what he can bring to the table.

"Dom has a good level of experience and brings physical attributes to the squad," McKenna told the club's official website.

"He has a fantastic character and he will bring a competitive mentality and professionalism to the group as well.

"As a versatile player he is a great addition to the squad. He is also at an age where he really wants to be part of a successful project and play his part.

"In terms of his playing style, he brings a real maturity and understanding to his performances.

"He is a strong player as well, which is particularly important in this division while also being able to win the ball back and distribute it well.

"It's great that we have already brought two players in and we want to prepare the squad early so we have a settled group for pre-season."

The Verdict

This is another very good signing for Ipswich and it's showing promising signs that the Tractor Boys are going to have a successful summer transfer window.

McKenna is keen to do his work early to ensure the majority of the squad will get time to work with each other and gel before the new season starts which could play a massive role in what their season will look like.

The Ipswich boss has worked with the player before and clearly liked the attributes he saw in the player which should make it a reassured signing from the fans' point of view too.