Ipswich Town’s remarkable ascent in recent years is a result of their recruitment plan, and even though they were relegated from the Premier League the previous season, Kieran McKenna’s team is more than capable of repeating those achievements.

With four games unbeaten, including three victories, the Tractor Boys’ recent play has restored the positive vibes to Portman Road while Ipswich continues to struggle through a difficult start to the season.

As McKenna restructures his team to aim for uniformity and competition around the field, some sections are starting to appear especially well-stocked. Others, on the other hand, are rather sparse and will probably cause movement when the January transfer window opens. The manager’s depth is a testament to the club’s development, since most positions now have high-caliber choices. As the campaign progresses farther into the winter, it also poses a balancing act, which is a difficulty.

When the January window opens, McKenna might soon have to make some difficult choices since players are vying for regular minutes when it comes to team selection. The present roster balance, particularly in defensive areas, indicates that a change or two may be in the works after the holiday season, even though no significant revamp is anticipated.

Ipswich Town is advised to reduce the workload in the full-back position.

With towering center-backs like Jacob Greaves and Dara O’Shea in their ranks, the Tractor Boys have shown to be a difficult team to break down both before and after their promotion to the Championship. However, there is currently a bit of an overload in the wide defensive areas as a result of Ipswich’s recent successful recruitment efforts at the full-back positions.

With players like Ashley Young, Ben Johnson, Darnell Fulong, and Leif Davis, McKenna has adequate back-row coverage, which may result in a lighter workload in January.

According to Adam, a Football League World Ipswich Town supporter, Harry Clarke ought to be the player to leave because of his ongoing injury problems. His departure in January would also reduce the wage expenditure.

Adam stated: “Given the injuries we’ve had, it appears that Ben Johnson will continue to play as a versatile left-back, left-wing, and right-wing cover in recent games. A few weeks ago, I would have told you that he was the most likely to depart the club in January.

“Given the money he’s on, I believe there’s still a chance he might move on. The most obvious, though, is arguably Harry Clarke, who is recovering from yet another serious injury and is most likely considering another loan out from the team.

“With Furlong, Johnson, Young, and Clarke at right-back, I’d say we’re obviously overloaded, so you’d expect at least two of them to leave. Given Conor Townsend’s injury, Young and Johnson can obviously fill in at left-back. We are vulnerable in that area because Leif Davis has no natural cover.

“If a right-back does not move on this January, I will be very, very surprised.”

Harry Clarke’s lack of playing time may cause him to leave in January.

To put it mildly, Clarke’s career has been difficult these last two seasons. The full-back had to play twice for the U21 team to get back up to speed after suffering a long-term knee injury the previous season. Clarke has struggled to find consistency in his game, which could result in a January departure. He has only made 13 appearances throughout the 2024–25 season with Ipswich and while on loan at Sheffield United.

The 24-year-old has previously made an impression on Ipswich as a key player in their season that saw them win promotion to the top flight, but a string of injuries has sapped his motivation while wearing an Ipswich shirt, which could now result in another loan stint as Adam mentioned.

Given the hierarchy between Furlong, Johnson, Young, and himself, you would think that he wouldn’t be many Ipswich Town supporters’ first or even second choice. This means that even though he has been with the team for two and a half seasons, he wouldn’t be sorely missed if he were to leave Portman Road as soon as January.

Despite being only 24 years old, Clarke can be considered a bit of a journeyman because he has played for Oldham and Stoke in England, as well as Ross County and Hibernian in Scotland. The right-back has, however, been inconsistent everywhere he has played; the only season in which he established himself as a consistent 90-minute player week in and week out was the 23–24 campaign with Ipswich.