Taking a look at some of the biggest transfer flops at Ipswich
HIGHLIGHTS
- Ipswich Town has had mixed success in the transfer window, with some signings not living up to expectations.
- Ivar Ingimarsson and Nathan Ellington were past their prime when they joined Ipswich and had little impact during their short stints at the club.
- Tamas Priskin and Finidi George were high-profile signings that failed to deliver, with Priskin managing only one league goal and George unable to help the club avoid relegation.
- The Tractor Boys look as though they have got their player recruitment very much right this season, with them flying high towards the top of the Sky Bet Championship.Indeed, they are a side with plenty of talent and ability right now, but they’ve not always had hit after hit in the transfer window.Here, then, we’re looking at four times Ipswich got in wrong in the market…
The Icelandic defender joined Ipswich with his best years behind him, with him joining on a free transfer from Reading in the summer of 2011.
At Reading, he proved something of a cult hero with close to 300 appearances being made but his time at Ipswich was far shorter in duration, with him playing just eight times for the Tractor Boys before moving on.
Indeed, he left the club in early 2012 to bring down the curtain on his time in Suffolk, after what was a fairly forgettable half year or so.
Ellington was another player that was past his best when he signed for Ipswich in 2011, though only a few weeks before he turned 30.
In his career up to that point, he had shone for the likes of Bristol Rovers and Wigan Athletic, scoring goals and proving a really powerful force up front.
Things never got going for him at Ipswich, though, with him unable to find the net in 19 matches before he was released in 2013 as he moved on to join Crewe.
Tamas Priskin
A big-money signing, Priskin was one of several signings made by Roy Keane that simply did not deliver on a fair amount of promise.
Priskin had done a decent job at Watford previously in his career, but he never managed to show that sort of form at Ipswich.
He scored just one league goal from 17 appearances in his first season, and across just over 50 outings for the club he would only register five strikes before leaving.
He scored a famous goal against Arsenal, but that was one highlight in a real sea of low in all truth.
Finidi George
George had made over 60 appearances for Nigeria during the 1990s, playing in World Cups, and for the likes of Ajax and Real Betis so expectations around him were high.
He was coming to the end of his career, though, and that showed with his performances.
He featured in just 35 league games, and could not help Ipswich avoid relegation from the Premier League, with him released from his contract in 2003.
On the face of it, it looked like a transfer that could really pay off. Bringing in an experienced player who had featured at the top level both internationally and in Europe, but his legs were gone and he could not have anywhere near the impact that Ipswich would have wanted when they signed him for a few million quid.
