Carlton Palmer, who has expressed interest in Sunderland’s Dan Ballard and Pierre Ekwah, is pleased with Ipswich Town’s summer plans thus far.
Ipswich Town, having been promoted to the Premier League, has started to assemble a roster of players in preparation for playing in the highest leagues. Sunderland might be a viable destination for talent scouting.
They boast the youngest roster in the division in terms of average age, and they have a reputation for developing young players through acquisition; this summer, they will be selling some of them to move up to a higher level.
Ipswich is gearing up for life back in the Premier League after more than 20 years away. Following a remarkable season that saw them win a second straight promotion, they will reportedly recruit players who they believe can advance to the Premier League with them.
| Final Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City (C) | 46 | 48 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town (P) | 46 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 73 |
According to TBR Football, Kieran McKenna’s team is apparently interested in Sunderland players Pierre Ekwah and Dan Ballard. However, you would have assumed that the two would not be cheap for any bidders this summer considering that Ballard is 24 and Ekwah is only 21 and that they are both signed long-term contracts at the Stadium of Light.
Carlton Palmer’s Ipswich Town transfer window verdict
Ex-England international Carlton Palmer believes Ipswich are conducting their business in the right manner, if players such as the Sunderland duo are the types that they look to sign in the transfer market.
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: “Ipswich Town are back in the Premier League for the first time in 20 years.
“A fantastic achievement by Kieran McKenna with back-to-back promotions, and they are now preparing for life in the Premier League.
“It’s always difficult when you get promoted. You know the quality is going to be higher, but you have also got to be careful, because the money that is paid in the Premier League, not just in transfer fees but in salaries, is huge.
“The gulf is massive. You have only got to look at the Championship this season. The three teams that are up there with Ipswich were relegated from last season, and obviously have the parachute payment money.
“Ipswich have got to be really careful when plotting forward. They are said to be looking at Pierre Ekwah and Dan Ballard of Sunderland.
“This is what Sunderland look to do. They buy the young players in and they develop them, then look to sell them on.
“Ekwah joined Sunderland from West Ham’s academy in 2023, and has gone on to make 60 appearances in all competitions.
“Ballard is another to join at a young age from a Premier League club in Arsenal in the summer of 2022.
“But Sunderland are in a strong position with both of these young players, with both under contract until the summer of 2026 and 2027.
“However, Ipswich have done really well in recruiting players. These two were at Premier League clubs and have dropped down to play regular football, so you would expect that they have the quality to step back up again now at that level.
“What McKenna and Ipswich are doing is signing young players that they believe can make that step back up to that level.
“If worst came to worst and they were relegated, then they should still keep these sorts of players to go again with a strong squad, and they’ve then got the parachute money to lean on.
“That’s the balance. You can’t gamble on just getting promoted and spending big money. That doesn’t guarantee you Premier League survival.
“It would be a good bit of business for Ipswich Town and McKenna, but they’re not going to find it easy to get them out of Sunderland, as they are on long-term contracts.”
Dan Ballard and Pierre Ekwah linked to Ipswich
Both Sunderland players have impressed in the Championship at what is a relatively early stage of their respective careers, suggesting they ought to be capable of making the move to the Premier League in the future, which could be this summer.
Given that Dan Ballard is 24 years of age and Pierre Ekwah is just 21, coupled with the fact they are under long-term deals at the Stadium of Light, you’d have thought that the duo wouldn’t come cheap this summer.
However, irrespective of the potential cost, if Ipswich are keen to make the deals happen, then they are certainly the right types of signings, as Palmer alludes to.
Domestic-based signings that are affordable, with plenty of Championship or Premier League experience for their age, should stand the Tractor Boys in good stead heading towards next year.
They have potential and the propensity to improve further, whilst being of the required quality to seriously improve upon the team’s starting players in those positions already.
