BURNLEY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Kieran McKenna the manager of Ipswich Town celebrates their goal during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Burnley and Ipswich Town at Turf Moor on February 07, 2023 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
22-year-old Premier League striker on Ipswich Town transfer radar
Ellis Simms is of interest to the Tractor Boys as they look to bolster their attacking options this summer
Ipswich Town were one of the three dominant teams in League One last season as they romped to automatic promotion, scoring over 100 league goals in the process.
Kieran McKenna’s exciting attacking style of play worked wonders at Portman Road with goals coming from all over the place, including top scorer Conor Chaplin netting 26 times from mainly a supporting striker role.
The options that McKenna had to play in-front of Chaplin couldn’t better his goalscoring record, and only two of those remain with Freddie Ladapo and Kayden Jackson – the former netting 17 times in the third tier last season – with loanees Tyreece John-Jules and George Hirst heading back to their parent clubs.
There is therefore a need to strengthen the striking department significantly this summer, and one player is reported to have joined the club’s list of transfer targets.
Ipswich Town interested in Ellis Simms
According to a report from trusted Ipswich site TWTD, Everton striker Ellis Simms is of interest to the Tractor Boys but reports of a £3.5 million bid made from a print edition of The Sun are wide of the mark.
Simms is also naturally attracting interest from other clubs, per TWTD, but he is very much someone to keep an eye on in terms of Ipswich’s striker targets this summer.
Who is Ellis Simms?
Simms is a rising talent who perhaps needs to depart Everton this summer if he is going to progress.
The 22-year-old joined Everton’s academy at the age of 16 but made his senior debut for Blackpool when on loan at the Seasiders in 2021 – he scored 10 times in 23 appearances for them in League One before heading back to the Toffees.
His debut in the Premier League came in December 2021 but he would soon head to Hearts in Scotland for the rest of the 2021-22 season on loan, again where he showed a knack for scoring with seven goals scored in 21 outings.
Simms started last season on loan at Sunderland in the Championship for the next stage of his development, but after scoring seven times for the Black Cats and Everton struggling in the Premier League, he was recalled by then-manager Frank Lampard.
Whilst he did go on to make 11 top flight appearances for the Toffees last season and scored his first ever goal for the club, Simms only started twice and could find his game-time limited next season if he stays at Goodison Park.
He could find a new home however at Ipswich, who will need an all-action number nine to compete with Ladapo for a starting spot.
