Ipswich Town player may be searching for Portman Road exit door after Cedric Kipre deal | OneFootball

Luke Woolfenden may be keen to depart Ipswich Town this summer after the arrival of Cedric Kipre.

Ipswich Town are preparing for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

After winning back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, Ipswich returned to the top flight following a 22-year absence last season, but the step up proved to be a little too much for them, and they were relegated with just 22 points to their name.

The Tractor Boys have lost three key players this summer, with defenders Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess and striker Liam Delap all departing, while captain Sam Morsy is closing in on a move to Kuwait SC, and there could be further high-profile exits to come before the end of the transfer window.

However, after a quiet start to the summer in terms of incomings, it appears transfer activity is beginning to gather pace at Portman Road, with goalkeeper David Button, defender Cedric Kipre and midfielder Azor Matusiwa all arriving in recent weeks.

Cedric Kipre's Ipswich Town arrival could be bad news for Luke Woolfenden

Matusiwa's £9 million move to Ipswich has grabbed most of the headlines this summer, and supporters should rightly be excited about their new big-money addition, but the loan signing of Kipre also looks to be strong business.

Kipre joins the Tractor Boys after a mixed year at Reims, in which he helped them reach the Coupe de France final, where they were beaten 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain, but he was also part of the side that suffered relegation from Ligue 1.

While Kipre's time in France ended in disappointment, he has plenty of Championship experience under his belt with Wigan Athletic, Cardiff City, and most notably, West Bromwich Albion, where he starred in the 2023-24 season as the Midlands outfit recorded a fifth-placed finish.

The Baggies were known for their defensive solidity and organisation during Kipre's stint at the club under former head coach Carlos Corberan, and the 28-year-old should bring some stability to an Ipswich back line that conceded an alarming 82 goals in the Premier League last season.

Despite losing Tuanzebe and Burgess this summer, the Tractor Boys still have plenty of depth at centre-back, and they managed to tie Dara O'Shea down to a new five-year contract last month amid reports of interest from Burnley, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, while they also have Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden on their books.

However, while Ipswich's return to the Championship may be good news for Greaves, whose performances in the division for Hull City convinced the club to pay an initial fee of £15 million for him last summer, Wolfenden is one player who could find himself surplus to requirements next season.

Since coming through the club's academy, Woolfenden has gone on to make 214 appearances for Ipswich, and he was an integral member of the team that won consecutive promotions from League One to the Premier League.

However, Woolfenden found his game time increasingly limited in the top flight last season as he made just 18 appearances, with only 15 of those coming from the start.

With that in mind, it was something of a surprise when Woolfenden signed a new two-and-a-half year contract at the end of January, and while that could suggest manager Kieran McKenna sees the 26-year-old as a key part of his plans in the Championship next season, it is difficult to see him being a regular starter.

Given their previous track record in the second tier, O'Shea and Greaves look set to be the Tractor Boys' first-choice centre-back pairing in the upcoming campaign, but despite having Woolfenden at his disposal, McKenna still opted to bring in another proven defender in Kipre, which will be concerning for the academy graduate.

Prior to signing his new deal at Ipswich, Woolfenden was linked with a move to Sheffield United in January, but with the Blades now under the management of Ruben Selles following the departure of Chris Wilder, they are unlikely to renew their interest, and they have also brought in one new centre-back this summer in the form of Nottingham Forest's Tyler Bindon.

While a move to Bramall Lane may be off the cards, Woolfenden would have no shortage of suitors if he became available, and his previous Championship promotion experience would make him a strong signing for many clubs in the division.

Having spent his entire career with the Tractor Boys so far, aside from loan spells at Bromley and Swindon Town, Woolfenden will be reluctant to leave Portman Road, but with Kipre's arrival potentially pushing him further down the pecking order, he may need to depart this summer in search of regular game time.