International striker could be ideal Ipswich Town summer signing – and he’d cost absolutely nothing: Opinion
Lucas Joao has had some prolific seasons in the Championship, and he could thrive with the service at Portman Road
Judging by what Ipswich Town did last season in the final third, you’d think the last place Kieran McKenna would need to strengthen is in attack.
The Tractor Boys may have finished second in League One behind Plymouth Argyle, but they blasted past the 100 goal mark thanks to their immense fire-power with Conor Chaplin leading the way on 26 goals.
Freddie Ladapo added 17 to that tally with others spread out, including Wes Burns, Marcus Harness and a January addition in the form of Nathan Broadhead that played mostly off the left when he arrived but the seven figures paid to Everton was worth every penny with eight goals scored and six assists notched.
Ipswich are in a good place heading into the Championship for the 2023-24 season, but there’s still a need to add to their attack when it’s all said and done.
Ladapo did score 17 times in League One last season as mentioned, but he has only ever had one season at Championship level before where he scored nine times – albeit in a largely uncreative Rotherham United side.
He could hit double figures should he get the service, but depth in the central striker role is an issue with Kayden Jackson and Joe Pigott either likely not going to be in McKenna’s plans or deemed not good enough for where they want to be aiming for in the second tier.
The biggest hint of that has come with Town’s interest in Everton centre-forward Ellis Simms, but he could prove to be out of the ambitious outfit’s price range at £7 million – £10 million.
Therefore, Ipswich need alternative targets and in Lucas Joao, the Suffolk outfit could get a couple of years out of someone who has proven to be a very good asset in the Championship.
What is Lucas Joao’s current situation?
After four years with Reading – some of those better than others – Joao is now a free agent after his contract expired on June 30, presumably as he informed the Royals that he had no desire to play in League One so they didn’t offer him a new deal.
The Angola international, who was capped twice for Portugal in 2015 before later switching allegiences, joined in 2019 from Sheffield Wednesday for a £5 million fee after scoring 10 goals for the Owls the season prior, but injuries blighted his debut campaign in Berkshire.
He exploded into life in the 2020-21 season though, scoring 22 times in 40 outings and following that up in 2021-22 by scoring 10 times in 24 matches.
2022-23 was a poor one for Joao though as he only found the back of the net seven times in 36 appearances as the Royals went down to League One with the aid of a points deduction, and he angered former interim manager Noel Hunt at the end of last season by refusing to play in their final match of the campaign.
Why should Ipswich Town sign Lucas Joao?
At the age of 29 now, Joao still has a few years left at his theoretical peak, and it would make a change for him to be in a side that creates plenty of chances at the top end of the pitch.
Reading didn’t really do that under Paul Ince, who admitted that the club didn’t have the players to play an attacking brand of football last season, and obviously by the end of the campaign Joao was fed up and was blasted by Hunt for his lack of commitment.
That obviously is not a good sign and McKenna – or any manager looking into signing Joao – would have to judge his character and if it fits in with the current crop of players, but the striker is a real asset at Championship level when given the service.
He is a strong, physical presence which you need to be in a lone striker system ideally, and he also has pace and dribbling abilities which if utilised well are important traits too.
Ladapo cannot be relied upon for Ipswich by himself due to his lack of experience at Championship level, so if Ipswich cannot get their hands on someone like Simms who is up and coming, then they can at least go for someone with know-how in the second tier, and Joao would probably take the opportunity, especially as Town will likely pay new signings well if they need to.
Joao is a goalscorer and with Ipswich lacking depth in the central striker role, Joao is a must to explore.
