Ipswich Town hit the jackpot with Brighton transfer: View | OneFootball

Christian Walton has proved exceptional value for money, meaning the Tractor Boys hit the jackpot when signing him from Brighton in 2021.

Ipswich Town have had a meteoric rise from League One to the Premier League under their dynamic Northern Irish manager Kieran McKenna, and one of the key factors in that success was the 2021 signing of Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Christian Walton.

Now 28 years of age, Walton was a product of the Plymouth Argyle youth system, before joining the Seagulls' academy in 2013 at the age of 17.

Showing real potential in that sphere, the towering shot-stopper made his debut for the then Championship outfit 18 months later in an EFL Cup clash with Tottenham, before making a handful of appearances in the league over the 2014/15 campaign.

Between 2015 and 2020, with Walton unable to nail down a place in the Brighton side on any sort of regular basis, the Cornwall-born stopper spent several loan spells with clubs such as Bury, which preceded a brief return to Plymouth, Luton Town, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers.

During that time, Walton was able to sample a wide range of levels from the fourth to the second-tier, and showcase his all-round game consistently at a high level, particularly in back-to-back seasons with Wigan, where he helped the Latics to promotion to the Championship in 2018.

Impressing enough for the Greater Manchester outfit to bring him back to the club for their return to the second tier, Walton was beginning to make a name for himself as a top EFL goalkeeper.

Joining fellow north west side Blackburn on loan in the following campaign, the England youth international was a reliable ever-present (in the league) performer for a Rovers side that finished just inside the top-half of the Championship table.

Once back with his parent club in 2020, injury and circumstances led to Walton making the occasional sporadic cup appearance. However, though often named on the bench for the ever-evolving top-flight side, the goalkeeper - 25-years-old at this point - needed to find regular, permanent first-team football for the good of his career.

Christian Walton is a big reason for Ipswich's surge to the Premier League

Walton initially joined the Tractor Boys on a season-long loan deal ahead of the 2021/22 season, one in which manager Paul Cook would be replaced halfway through by Kieran Mckenna.

While his side had underwhelmed up to this point, Walton had performed well on a personal level, leading to him fully establishing himself as the club's number one, and joining permanently for an undisclosed fee in January 2022.

That fee was never disclosed, but given how he performed in Suffolk betwen 2021 and 2023, Walton was worth every penny.

McKenna steadied the ship at Portman Road, before he led Walton and his team-mates to promotion to the Championship in his first full season - the former Brighton man playing every League One match as his side finished runners-up to Plymouth, conceding just 35 goals in that time and keeping 23 clean sheets.

Despite his performances in the third tier though, Walton would then lose his place as first-choice goalkeeper - partially due to the fact he started the season injured.

A foot problem sidelined Walton, and that gave a chance for the experienced Czech Václav Hladký to try and prove himself to McKenna - one he took and never looked back from.

Ipswich of course had a short stay in the Championship, as they achieved incredible back-to-back promotions and a return to the Premier League after 22 years, and while Walton had lost his place in the team, he provided an assured back-up, playing a big part in a close-knit group that proved crucial to the club's rapid rise.

New Christian Walton contract at Ipswich Town shows how valued he was and is by McKenna

Over the summer, and with McKenna preparing for life back in the top-flight, the Northern Irishman added Kosovan goalkeeper Arijanet Muric to his ranks from relegated Burnley.

But while Hladký chose to move on, coincidentally joining the Clarets himself, Walton stayed put. The 28-year-old is seen as an important member of the squad by his manager, and vital to the continuance of the club's success.

Much like what happened last year when Walton was sidelined, an injury to Muric led to him starting Town's opening day defeat to Liverpool,

And whilst Walton performed well, he would not retain his place in the starting 11 like Hladky did for all of last season, with Muric since returning to take over as first-choice in Premier League games.

Walton's continued value to McKenna and Ipswich was further proved recently, when the ever-reliable deputy signed a new two-year-deal that will take his stay with the club to over five years, and it's fair to say that, whether starting or playing a supporting role from the bench, the goalkeeper has proved exceptional value for money, and the Tractor Boys hit the jackpot when signing him from Brighton in 2021.