Paul Cook has started the rebuilding process at Ipswich Town as he looks to curate a winning team for the 2021/22 season, and it doesn't just stop at the players on the pitch.

Cook continued to wield the axe this week following the announcements before the season had climaxed that both Alan Judge and Stephen Ward would be leaving when their contracts expired, with fellow experienced pros Luke Chambers and Cole Skuse also departing.

They're joined through the Portman Road exit door by five other senior players, including Freddie Sears, as Cook, with the backing of the new American ownership group, looks to re-shape the Tractor Boys.

The ex-Wigan boss is also looking to get things in order off the pitch as well, and when he arrived in Suffolk he brought Gary Roberts in with him for his first ever coaching role.

Cook would usually bring Leam Richardson in as an assistant but he remained at the DW Stadium to take over as manager, so a fresh face has been head-hunted for the Ipswich coaching staff - and he's a former player at the club.

 

 

 

 

Having spent a couple of months on loan in 2007, scoring four goals in nine appearances, Francis Jeffers has returned to Portman Road as a first-team coach, departing his role as a coach for Everton's under-23's to move into a more senior capacity at Ipswich.

Jeffers admitted that he couldn't turn down the opportunity to return to Portman Road and fans seem pretty happy that he is back at the club.