Ipswich Town can find Jens Cajuste 2.0 by beating Sheffield United to Hull City transfer | OneFootball

Steven Alzate has prior Premier League experience and could help Kieran McKenna's side make a swift return to the top flight.

Ipswich Town are looking less and less likely to sign Jens Cajuste after failing to remain in the Premier League last season.

Turkish side Besiktas are reportedly looking to bring in Napoli's defensive midfielder instead, whilst the Tractor Boys would like to see him return to Portman Road.

Cajuste was a focal point in Kieran McKenna's side last season in the Premier League, with only five other players making more top-flight starts for Ipswich than the Swedish international.

So whilst losing out on the 25-year-old would be a huge blow, it could be softened if Ipswich were to switch their focus towards Hull City's Steven Alzate.

The 2024/25 season was one to forget for the Tigers, but the former Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder stuck out as one of the diamonds among the rough at the MKM Stadium.

With Premier League experience already in the bag for the 26-year-old defensive midfielder, he could easily fit in as Ipswich strive to return to the top flight at the first opportunity.

Ipswich Town must fend off tough competition to secure Steven Alzate's signature

After starring in a poor Hull City side, and still looking like a player who could operate in the top leagues, it's no surprise that Alzate is wanted by a whole host of top clubs this summer.

Fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Sheffield United are set to be in the chase for the Colombian international, with former Hull manager Ruben Selles seeming keen to bring his former man across from East to South Yorkshire.

And Hull Live reported in mid-May that La Liga duo Getafe and Valencia are also interested in bringing the 26-year-old to Spain.

Both sides finished 12th and 13th in the Spanish top-flight last season, respectively, but Valencia, under former West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan, were a revitalised team in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

They rose from the foot of the table to a respectable mid-table finish, and the former six-time La Liga champions look set to climb even further up the tree next campaign.

So, a move to Spain could be even more appealing if Valencia, especially, were to kick up their interest. It's because of this that Ipswich need to act quickly to secure their Cajuste replacement ahead of next season.

Steven Alzate would thrive in Ipswich Town's side under Kieran McKenna

Last season, Alzate was one of the more efficient defensive midfielders in the Championship.

According to FotMob, he may not have won as many tackles, duels or aerial duals as other players in his position, but the percentage of those which he won ranked among him near the top, if not actually at the top.

His 67.2 per cent winning rate of duels on the ground placed him in the top 100 percentile of all the defensive midfielders in the league, and whilst Hull may have endured a tough season in front of goal, their defensive numbers were solid.

Only three sides outside the top six conceded fewer goals than Hull last season, and their tally of 54 even bettered both Bristol City and Coventry City, who both finished in a play-off spot.

Adding to that, Alzate completed dribbles at a success rate of 78.9 per cent last season, so there weren't many better in his position at retaining and carrying the ball than the Colombian.

With Ipswich's goal being to return to the Premier League, adding someone like Alzate seems like a no-brainer.

The 26-year-old would easily fit into McKenna's side this coming season, and he'd be someone worth keeping around for the following term, if the Tractor Boys were to earn promotion.