Deadline day Ipswich Town reveal better than a new signing: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Ipswich Town had a successful January transfer window as they bid for back-to-back promotions.

Kieran McKenna’s side have taken to life back in the Championship very well, as they’ve not only steered clear of relegation, but they are in the mix for the final automatic spot.

The Tractor Boys were excellent throughout their time in League One and have continued that form into this season, where they have played some good football as well as picking up points.

Ipswich have been one of the clear leaders, along with Leicester City, for most of the campaign, but recent weeks have seen a slip in results that has opened up the race.

Therefore, McKenna saw this window as a chance to just tweak his squad and give them better options. He brought in Lewis Travis, Jeremy Sarmiento, Ali Al-Hamadi, and Keiffer Moore, all very good additions.

But it might be the news about Manchester United loanee Brandon Williams that was the best news for the club on deadline day.

Brandon Williams passed fit to stay at Ipswich

It was mentioned throughout the January transfer window that Ipswich were looking at potentially signing a left-back to provide cover to Leif Davis, as the club dealt with their injuries.

The Tractor Boys had already strengthened in that area of the pitch during the summer, as the club signed Brandon Williams on loan for the season from Man United.

The defender took to life well at Portman Road, but from October onwards, the full-back has suffered from injuries and illness, which resulted in the player going back to the Premier League club for medical assessment.

However, it was revealed by the East Anglian Daily Times, that Williams had been passed fit to return to Ipswich and continue his loan spell at the Championship club.

As mentioned, Ipswich made a few new additions over the month of January, and it seemed like McKenna was keen to add in the full-back area, but Williams being declared fit will be a sign of relief to the Ipswich boss and like a new signing in itself.

Brandon Williams joined Ipswich in the summer transfer window, as he lost his place in the Manchester United team and had become forgotten as he slipped down the pecking order.

So, this loan was a chance to put himself in the shop window and show his parent club what he can do.

The 22-year-old was doing just that, as he didn’t nail down a starting spot, but he did start eight of the 15 games he was available for. Williams averaged 54 minutes per game, which he will want to improve upon as he closes in on a return.

Furthermore, Williams has got two goals to his name so far on loan, with them coming against Huddersfield Town and Preston earlier in the season. The defender has a goal expectancy of 0.21, so Williams is performing better than his xG, as per SofaScore.com.

The Man United loanee has a scoring frequency of 402 minutes, as he’s averaging 0.1 goals per game, with 0.2 shots per game and 0.1 on target, so his scoring frequency will be high given those numbers.

Williams will likely be judged more on his defensive attributes, with him contributing to two clean sheets. He's made 0.9 interceptions, completed 1.9 tackles per game, and has recovered the ball 4.5 times per game, numbers that show he is doing his defensive duties for the team, as per SofaScore.com.

The defender was getting into some very good form around October, as he was starting more games and was impressing going forward and in defence. However, he was then struck with injuries and illness, and that saw his loan hit a snag.

So, now to hear that he is staying at the club and is returning to fitness is definitely a massive boost for Ipswich and their promotion aims. He has impressed during his loan, and he will want to continue from where he left off, so this is massive for Ipswich and McKenna, as they get a defender back in their squad who knows what is required from him, and his ability makes them all around better.