As Ipswich Town prepare for their return to the Premier League, we’ve compiled predictions from various experts, pundits, and analytical models, offering a range of perspectives on the club's prospects for the season ahead.
We’ll keep this article updated as new predictions come out, so add it to your reading list or bookmarks.
BBC Sport
Phil McNulty: 20th
BBC Sport’s chief football writer Phil McNulty has Town 20th in his predicted table, saying, “Ipswich will enjoy their rating as underdogs and McKenna will not worry about being written off but survival alone can be considered a huge success for the Suffolk club.”
Richard Woodward: 17th
Ipswich Town fan writer Richard Woodward is slightly more optimistic, "Seventeenth - there is optimism amongst some of the fanbase that mid-table is possible, but the Premier League is a totally different level to what we're used to. Survival is a realistic objective for us, with the chance of springing a few surprises along the way."
The Athletic: 17th
The athletic writers predicted that the table will see Town finishing 17th, with Brentford, Leicester, and Southampton going down.
Nick Miller
On which new manager will make the most impact Nick Miller opted for the Town boss, “Kieran McKenna’s agent has been the performer of the summer, leveraging apparent interest from the big boys into a bumper new contract for the Ipswich manager, but there is a reason those big boys were keen. His reputation is sky-high after successive promotions in his first crack at senior football and pound-for-pound he’s probably been the best manager in the country over the past two seasons, but the Premier League beast can swallow young and bushy-tailed managers whole. I’d love him to succeed.”
Caoimhe O’Neil
Caoimhe O’Neil added, “I’m going with McKenna, too. Everyone loves rooting for an underdog and after a season of covering Luton Town in the 2023-24 Premier League, I am battle-hardened and so ready for Ipswich to succeed where Luton failed (even if I did just say they’ll be relegated). McKenna reminds me of Luton counterpart Rob Edwards in a lot of ways and his side will be a refreshing addition to the top flight, just like Luton.”
Opta: Relegated
The Opta supercomputer makes them second-favourites to go down in 2024-25, as they were relegated (64.7%) and finished bottom across 27.4% of the 10,000 pre-season simulations. But what do supercomputers know?
Optus Sport
Reporter Phil Kitromilides and former Leeds United player Michael Bridges have both predicted Town will be relegated back to the Championship.
Michael Bridges: Relegated
Bridges reluctantly picked Town for the drop, saying: “I've gone with Ipswich, sadly. Leicester City, I think they're going to go as well.” He picked Brentford as the third relegated team.
Phil Kitromilides: Relegated
“Southampton, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest, you touched upon Ipswich, and I know Kieran McKenna is supposed to be the next big thing, but this is the Premier League, my friends, and it is a very unforgiving, difficult league,” added Kitromilides.
Goal.com
James Westwood: “More than just relegation battlers”
Goal’s associate editor James Westwood writes, “The Irishman [McKenna] is one of the most brilliant young managers in the game, bringing a distinctive identity to this Ipswich side that will deliver plenty of upsets. The Tractor Boys can hurt any team on the transition and have enough quality to be much more than just relegation battlers."
Notable others
Paul Scholes: Top 12
Making a couple of bold predictions on The Overlap, the Manchester United legend predicted that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca would be sacked by Christmas and Ipswich Town would finish in the top 12.
Sue Smith: Relegated
Despite predicting Town to finish in the bottom three alongside Leicester and Southampton, Sue Smith said, “I hope they do well. Kieran McKenna is a brilliant manager so I actually hope I’m completely wrong.”
Stephen Warnock: Relegated
Warnock, who also predicted the three promoted clubs would go down, added that if any of the three were to stay up, he thinks it’ll be Southampton.
Adrian Clarke
Writing for the Premier League’s website, journalist and analyst Adrian Clarke says, “Ipswich will score plenty of goals, and because they have a young side packed with talent, I predict they will attack matches with fearlessness. Can they keep enough goals out at the other end? That’s the concern, but their firepower will help them pick up points.”
Ben Bloom: Relegated
With a slightly more pessimistic outlook, Ben Bloom predicted Southampton would be the best promoted team. On Town he said, “I covered a fair few Ipswich matches last season and my heart would love to say them, but I can’t see it happening.“
