Ipswich Town will want to walk into their new environment of the Premier League next season and not feel overwhelmed by the gigantic step-up in quality, having thrived as underdogs last season.
Still, the top division has the potential to swallow newly promoted teams whole – seen in Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United only surviving one season at before falling back down to the Championship – and so Ipswich won't want to give in to this worrying trend.
The Tractor Boys will want to prove they belong at the level instead, with defensive reinforcements being reportedly eyed up to help shore up the back four, ahead of facing off against the likes of a daunting Erling Haaland among other world-class attackers in the top-flight.
Ipswich looking at Championship star
According to a report in the Telegraph, Ipswich now have a "first-choice" target in the centre-back position, in the form of Hull City star Jacob Greaves.
The towering 6 foot 4 defender shone last campaign for Hull, with the Suffolk side clearly keen admirers from afar, as Kieran McKenna and Co look to go all in for the Tigers man to strengthen a sometimes lax defence that leaked 57 goals in the second-tier.
This pursuit of Greaves, who has also been on the radar of Everton, could make a potential Ipswich move for Celtic centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers redundant, with the Tractor Boys also previously eyeing up in-demand former Leeds United loanee Joe Rodon to bolster their back four.
Greaves could well be their desired man instead, therefore, with the Hull number four more than ready for the challenge of the Premier League, having shone at the MKM Stadium for a number of seasons now.
Why Greaves could be better than Carter-Vickers
Both rock-solid centre-backs in their own right for their respective clubs last campaign, there could be an argument that Greaves would excel more for Ipswich next season than Carter-Vickers, having consistently delivered for Hull in the hustle and bustle of the Championship for three seasons on the bounce.
The 23-year-old has only been missing from action five times over the last three second-tier campaigns, with his Celtic counterpart far more susceptible to picking up an injury niggle, as Greaves notched up six goals and six assists playing out from the back from these 133 clashes, with Second Tier Podcast host Ryan Dilks labelling him as "top-class" subsequently.
Games played
43
25
Goals
2
1
Assists
4
1
Touches*
91.8
92.8
Accurate passes*
67.6 (89%)
77.0 (91%)
Big chances created
4
1
Clean sheets
11
8
Duels won*
7.3
5.8
Interceptions*
1.0
0.6
Tackles*
1.8
0.8
Balls recovered*
4.4
5.7
Clearances*
4.3
3.4
As well as being a more dependable first-team presence for his current employers, Greaves also betters Carter-Vickers in a number of different areas when comparing the two centre-backs in the table above. Most impressively, the Tigers colossus won a staggering 7.3 duels on average last season per match.
The Celtic number 20 has also struggled in the English second-tier in the past, in a division that Greaves has excelled in, with a loan spell at AFC Bournemouth during the 2020/21 season resulting in the USA international only picking up five clean sheets from 21 games.
Therefore, even if Ipswich do drop straight back down to the Championship, they'll know they have one of the division's most forceful defenders at their disposal in Greaves, who will be champing at the bit for a chance to shine in the league above.
That opportunity could soon come his way at Portman Road, as Ipswich begin to look to make tweaks to their promotion-winning squad, to try and survive in the Premier League against all the odds.
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