Blueprint outlined to Ipswich Town if they want to compete for Premier League promotion

Former Ipswich Town captain Mick Mills believes that the Tractor Boys have what it takes to challenge at the top end of the Sky Bet Championship, as they embark on their first season at the level since 2019.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, Mills believes that Kieran McKenna’s side could be ‘serious contenders’ for a promotion challenge if they are to make a handful of additions to the side which gained automatic promotion out of League One last month.

Where do Ipswich need to strengthen?

The club’s record appearance maker still thinks there are improvements to be made, and that any players coming to the Tractor Boys must be of a higher standard to those already at the club. The former centre-back believes that is the area which Ipswich need to improve on in the transfer window for the purpose of squad depth

“If we can improve it by about 20%, that’ll be enough to make us serious contenders,” Mills told the BBC.

“We’ve got to go out and bring in good players, possibly five or six, of a certain standard, who might ultimately be our best players. We mustn’t try to put people underneath what we’ve got, we’ve got to put people over and above what we’ve got.”

Mills, who was a part of Ipswich’s FA Cup and UEFA Cup winning sides of the late 1970s, early 1980s also spoke about how the stature of the football club can play a massive part, as they prepare to mix it with the likes of recently relegated Leicester City and Leeds United.

He continued: “I listened to the radio the other day, and they were talking about how competitive the Championship will be next year, they named a lot of big clubs and forgot to even mention Ipswich. But there’s no way you can leave Ipswich out of that scenario.”

Can Ipswich Town mount a play-off push next season?

As Sunderland have proved this season with a very young squad, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility for a newly-promoted side to continue their momentum into the following season and make a charge for the top six. Ipswich also amassed 101 goals last season, whilst only losing four times, highlighting the capability of this squad in all areas. There are a number of players in this Ipswich side who have previous Championship experience, which will stand them in good stead ahead of the new season.

However, with the Championship as strong as it looks to be next season, many outsiders would see a promotion push as a potential step too far, and an established first season back at this level would also be regarded as a success for McKenna’s team.