Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town will play in the Premier League, but they will need to enhance their team. They’ll want to as some players might not be able to manage the demands of the top division, and Premier League life might be difficult if necessary changes aren’t done. One such player who may raise concerns is Sam Morsy, a 32-year-old midfielder who, while playing a critical role in the team’s promotion from the Championship, may be replaced by a younger, Premier League-ready replacement.
Ben Sheaf, who has performed well for Coventry City this season and could readily transition to the Premier League if Ipswich does make a move, may be that player.
Ben Sheaf is Premier League ready
Sheaf has been one of the most impressive players for Coventry this season, as well as for the entire Championship. In addition to leading the Sky Blues to the FA Cup semifinals, the 26-year-old has been the team’s mainstay as they have made another push for the play-offs. He has at last demonstrated why so many supporters, analysts, and media members have dubbed the Englishman “Premier League ready” and why he graduated from Arsenal FC’s academy during his outings in every competition this season.
| Ben Sheaf’s Championship Stats 2023-24 | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 31 |
| Average Minutes Per Game | 84 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Shots Per Game | 1.5 |
| Shots on Target Per Game | 0.4 |
| Touches Per Game | 76.5 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Key Passes Per Game | 1.1 |
| Accurate Passes Per Game | 49.9 |
| Total Duels Won Per Game | 6.4 |
| Stats Correct As Of May 4, 2024 – As Per Sofascore | |
The midfielder is also adaptable, having covered both the attacking and defensive ends of the midfield, which is ideal in the modern game as teams want to switch between attacking and defending the ball swiftly.
Ipswich need to make younger upgrades
Upgrades are desired to give a side the best opportunity of fending off an immediate relegation, as is normal for any promoted team (much alone one that has gone from League One to the Premier League in two seasons), and that will undoubtedly be the case for McKenna and Ipswich. McKenna may focus on upgrades or replacements at the defensive midfield position. The Northern Irishman uses Morsy alongside Massimo Luongo in his 4-2-3-1 formation, and although the Egyptian has played in a competitive club that has been promoted to the Premier League, it might be argued that he needs an upgrade.
It must be acknowledged that Luongo and Morsy are older than thirty. The latter is getting close to 33 years old, so a younger midfielder who can be used for many years ahead of him as well as someone with the skills and discipline to play in the Premier League the following season will be desired.
Sheaf would assist with that, as would any other midfield targets that surface during this transfer window. McKenna appears to have realized this, as Alan Nixon disclosed on his Patreon that he is keen to sign the Coventry star to improve his team and possibly reduce the team’s age as well. Sheaf is now 26 years old, and if the goal is to go past depending on the seasoned pair of Luongo and Morsy—who are not here to stay—this is the ideal moment to launch a Premier League campaign once more.
Should Kieran McKenna make changes?
Though there is a case to be made for Morsy and Luongo, who are both capable of playing a central role in the Ipswich midfield even in a different division, it is completely reasonable that McKenna will want to rotate his midfield.
After a tremendously successful season in which Luongo made 43 appearances and Morsy made 42, the two have a total of 85 appearances; it would be foolish to fully rule out the possibility of the two improving after what they recently accomplished. Both of these appearance totals are higher than that of Sheaf, who, as the above chart shows, only had 31 appearances in the Championship and sustained a few injuries. He has, however, continued to play a significant role in several games this year and is dependable.
The Ipswich pair’s paper statistics also seem comparable to Sheaf’s. Luongo has three assists this season but has not scored. In the meantime, Morsy has scored the same amount of goals and out-assisted Sheaf, which may indicate that the squad is already looking for players with a similar level of skill. Upon closer inspection and with the use of Sofascore’s comparative tool, it becomes evident that although Morsy may have given a more polished performance in certain areas, his advancing years may be starting to show in other sections of the field where he makes contributions.
Sheaf fared better than Morsy in terms of tackles and interceptions per game. He also strikes me as a more reliable player defensively, which will be important for McKenna and Ipswich in the challenging Premier League. Not unexpectedly, he also committed less fouls and received fewer yellow cards than Morsy during this championship season, demonstrating that even at his much younger age, he is a skilled player who maintains composure under pressure. This is going to be important for McKenna once more and demonstrates why it might not be a good idea to depend too much on a midfield player who is past thirty, especially in the Premier League, which is an extremely competitive league.
Therefore, McKenna ought to consider Sheaf as a valuable asset to the team rather than just a stand-in for an older midfield player. Sheaf is among the top midfield players in the Championship, so whomever ends up buying him will be getting one. He can relieve some of the strain on Luongo and the Egyptian as Ipswich prepares for the Premier League. He can be an improvement over Morsy.
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