Ipswich Town have shrugged off Swansea City transfer blow emphatically with ex-West Brom man | OneFootball

Cedric Kipre looks set to fill the Cameron Burgess void in the Ipswich backline this season

Losing Cameron Burgess to fellow Championship side Swansea City would have been a blow for Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town this summer.

The Australian international was a key part of the back-to-back promotion-winning Ipswich squads, and in the Championship, Burgess was one of the first names on the team sheet, starting 38 of the 46 games.

Even in the most recent Premier League campaign, Burgess started 16 of the 18 games he played, showing how integral he was to McKenna's plans when available.

Understandably, the club offered him a new contract, but the 29-year-old opted to pursue another opportunity in the south of Wales, and having just come off the back of his first top-flight season, will give Swansea a huge defensive boost ahead of 2025/26.

For Ipswich, this summer is about replacing their key departures as they look to make an immediate return to the Premier League, and it looks like they may have done so with Cedric Kipre's arrival at Portman Road looking likely.

Cedric Kipre would prove an apt replacement for Cameron Burgess at Ipswich Town

Cedric Kipre has always shone whenever he played in the Championship. Firstly, at Wigan Athletic, where he earned a move to then-Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, and he also enjoyed a strong loan spell with Cardiff City in the 2022/23 campaign.

He struggled for game time immediately at The Hawthorns, but his only true full season at the club saw him win West Brom's players' player of the season as he helped Carlos Corberan's side to a play-off place in 2023/24.

Kipre spent last season in Ligue 1, with the French-born Ivory Coast international playing for Stade Reims. He wasn't able to keep them in the top flight in France, but was an instrumental part of their miracle run to the Coupe de France final, where they lost to PSG.

Kipre will likely not want to play in Ligue 2 next season, so a switch back to England and to a division where he'd immediately become one of the better players in his position may be on the cards, with Ipswich looking to bring the 28-year-old in on loan with a view to purchase if they were to achieve promotion.

And it would be a perfect fit. Two seasons ago, Kipre ranked in the top 20% of centre-backs in duels won both in the air and on the ground, and last season in Ligue 1, he still ranked highly among the players in his position, too, despite Reims being relegated.

With Ipswich in desperate need of centre-back cover following the departures of Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess, Kipre would come in and provide more than cover; he'd be looking to stake his claim in the starting eleven.

Cedric Kipre can realise his Premier League potential at Ipswich Town

Despite being bought by West Brom when they were in the Premier League, Kipre's league debut for the Baggies didn't come until they were back in the Championship, again.

Therefore, despite being named in a number of English top-flight squads, the 28-year-old is yet to make his bow in the Premier League.

Ipswich will be looking to make an instant bounce back from the Championship this season, and if they do, L'Equipe have reported that a fee will be agreed to bring Kipre to Portman Road permanently for £3.9 million.

If the Ivorian can help his side achieve their primary goal this season, then you'd expect that McKenna will look to keep Kipre involved in 2026/27. Then, he'd be able to achieve a personal goal and play Premier League minutes for the first time in his career.