Ipswich Town

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Ipswich Town forward Conor Chaplin will leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

The 29-year-old played a major part in Ipswich's promotions from League One and the Championship as well as featuring regularly in their relegation from the Premier League last season.

Although Chaplin featured in the Suffolk club's opening four games of this campaign, he joined Portsmouth on loan in September, making 36 Championship appearances and scoring two goals as Pompey successfully fought against relegation.

Chaplin signed for Ipswich from Barnsley in 2019 and went on to score 55 goals in 174 appearances in all competitions.

"Conor has been a massive part of the growth and success of the football club during his time here," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told the club website., external

"He leaves with our gratitude and fullest respect, and we wish him well in the next steps in his career."

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Ipswich Town midfielders Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor have both undergone surgery since the team clinched promotion back to the Premier League.

"Azor has undergone an operation on a muscle injury, while Jack has had a knee cartilage procedure, with both surgeries a success," said a club statement., external

"Both players will now recuperate over the summer."

Matusiwa, 28, who arrived from French club Rennes last summer, made 46 appearances as Ipswich finished second behind Coventry City, with Republic of Ireland international Taylor, 27, playing 42 games.

Ipswich will find out their fixtures for the 2026-27 Premier League campaign on 19 June.

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Former England international Ashley Young has heaped praise on Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and expects the club to fare better in the Premier League next season than they did in 2024-25.

Young has now retired from football but was part of the Tractor Boys squad that finished second in the Championship and won immediate promotion back to the top flight following relegation last season.

"You see the way that he [McKenna] wants to play football, I think the fans here have to bite their tongue a little bit, they're worried at times," Young told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"But he's a fantastic manager. I hope he goes on to have a fantastic career and next season is better than the season when they got relegated. I've got every confidence in him that he's going to go on and do that."

Ipswich have won three promotions in four seasons under McKenna - from League One in 2023 and the Championship in 2024 and 2026.

"It is incredible to be honest," said Young, who previously played for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Everton.

"I knew what he was like, I knew what man he was. It's not just him as the manager, him on the pitch, it's him off the pitch.

"It's the reason why I signed here. I knew him from Manchester United, I knew his work ethic and we've got a similar work ethic.

"He probably stays up longer than me in the night. He probably gets in earlier than me, but he's been fantastic for me."

Young, who made 13 league appearances for Town this season, won a Premier League and Serie A title, an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League across a 23-year career.

The 40-year-old capped it off with promotion to the top flight with Ipswich and added: "It's a fitting way to end a career."

"You need Premier League experience or, we've seen with Sunderland, Premier League-level physicality, athleticism, that you have to have to survive up there.

"Ultimately as a coach, you're only as good as that squad of players that you've got. They weren't good enough in the Premier League last year, as it stands they won't be good enough next year."

The 72+ team assess what it will take for Ipswich Town to stay in the Premier League next season and hear from boss Kieran McKenna.

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has praised how his side's new-found character came together during their run to the promotion.

A Premier League return was sealed by their convincing victory over QPR to grab second place behind champions Coventry City.

Despite being pre-season favourites to go up, the Tractor Boys' rebuilt squad took time to gel.

But for McKenna, they found the necessary togetherness at the right time as one defeat in the last 15 games testifies.

"That's been questioned all the way with the group," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"In some ways, I understand it and in others, for me it's been a little bit over the top because the reality is it's a new group of players coming to the club for the first time.

"We've had to grow that, you don't just become a team with a lot of character and resilience when you walk in the door and the group doesn't come together until the end of August.

"That's grown over the course of the season and that's really been evidenced over this last run. To finish with one loss in 15 games really shows the character of the group really came together by the end."