"Money could be spent better" - Ipswich Town concern raised over Millwall transfer pursuit | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After achieving the stunning feat of winning back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, Ipswich Town must now utilise the summer transfer window in an effort to equip themselves for the top-flight.

According to the South London Press, the Tractor Boys are interested in Millwall attacking midfielder Zian Flemming, who scored seven goals and produced five assists during a 2023/24 Championship campaign, in which a once relegation-threatened Lions side guided themselves to a comfortable 13th place finish by ending the season with five consecutive wins, including a victory over eventual champions Leicester City.

Flemming had a clear eye for goal and creative edge despite plying his trade for a Lions side who struggled for goals, finding the back of the net just 45 times during the most recent season.

The 25-year-old first arrived in English football from Dutch outfit Fortuna Sittard ahead of the 2022/23 Championship season, in which he scored an impressive 15 goals, assisting a further three times in the Championship.

Ipswich Town fan pundit thinks Zian Flemming deal should be avoided

Flemming has had a positive impact at The Den and has taken well to second-tier football in his two years in England, but he may wish to continue his journey in the game elsewhere, and the Tractor Boys look ready to offer him a shot at proving his worth in the Premier League.

Despite his good performances in South Bermondsey, Ipswich are being urged to look elsewhere and perhaps further afield when it comes to a new attacking midfield signing this summer by FLW's Town fan pundit Henry.

"I don't know whether that's the type of player we'll be looking for in terms of moving up to the Premier League," Henry said when speaking to Football League World.

"He obviously has got great pedigree in terms of Championship football, he would play in that number 10 role, just behind the striker, and at the moment we do obviously have (Conor) Chaplin and I think we could probably get a better version of a Chaplin.

"I think Flemming is maybe a similar sort of level.

"Maybe we need a young, top six Premier League player to come into that role.

"I think Flemming, even though he would be a good buy, I think he'd be quite costly, and I think that money could be spent better elsewhere for someone in that role.

"Looking abroad may be a better bet for someone in that 10 spot."

Ipswich Town need to sign players of a high calibre this summer

Although Flemming is a good player, whose services the Tractor Boys could benefit from, he is unproven at Premier League level, and Kieran McKenna will need to sign experienced top-flight players this summer in order to avoid the drop following promotion.

The argument could also be made that the Lions man is not of a higher standard than Chaplin, who currently plays in the number 10 role for Ipswich, and was the club's joint top scorer in the Championship with 13 goals, which helped spearhead his side to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk revealed that the Tractor Boys are looking to bring Chelsea starlet Omari Hutchinson to Portman Road on a permanent basis after he excelled under McKenna during a 2023/24 loan spell.

Hutchinson is a talented youngster, and his signature could bolster the Suffolk outfit's top-flight survival hopes, while it could be argued that he would be a better permanent signing than that of Flemming.

But in order to obtain Premier League survival, it could be vital for McKenna to look to sign players who are experienced at the top level, a quality that Eddie Nketiah - who the Tractor Boys have been credited with interest in - could bring to the club.