Exclusive: Don Goodman backs Ipswich Town to keep “freaky creative force” at Portman Road after relegation | OneFootball

Don Goodman believes Ipswich can make Leif Davis a Premier League player again very quickly if he opts to remain at Portman Road.

Don Goodman has backed Ipswich Town to keep hold of defender Leif Davis despite their relegation back down to the Championship.

The Tractor Boys have endured a miserable return to the Premier League, failing to bridge the gap between second tier sides and the established top-flight clubs, taking only 22 points as their clash against West Ham brings the curtain down on the term.

Ipswich know that they will be back in the second tier and will be expected to leapfrog straight back to the Premier League due to the resources they possess, although it remains unexpected how many players will depart the club following their top-flight exile.

One player whose future is up in the air at the moment is full-back Leif Davis, who received past transfer interest after his blockbuster 2023-24 Championship campaign.

His boyhood club Newcastle United were touted to make a move along with the Hammers, and it remains to be seen whether these types of sides will reignite their interest heading into this summer.

With this in mind, pundit Don Goodman has outlined whether he believes Davis will be an Ipswich player heading into the opening day of next season.

Don Goodman believes Ipswich will go all out to secure Leif Davis' future

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, pundit Don Goodman believes Ipswich Town will do all they can to retain Leif Davis, and will be able to offer him a route to being a Premier League player again.

Goodman said: "I think Ipswich are going to have a squad laden with top-end Championship talent. Like everybody else, Leif Davis has found the step-up tough and hasn't managed to be that freaky creative force he was in the Championship where he got 18+ assists last season, but if somebody out there is looking for an attacking left-back, then they possibly have a little look at Leif Davis.

"I would suggest Ipswich will try and convince him that they can have another push to promotion at the first attempt from the Championship and make him a Premier League player again very quickly."

Leif Davis was a major factor to Ipswich’s surprise promotion back to the Premier League, with his regular attacking contributions from full-back adding an alternative creative spark that Ipswich needed to be so free-flowing in front of goal.

While he hasn’t managed to transition that into the top-flight, there’s no reason why Davis can’t be such a brute force if he remains at Portman Road, and the club will be dependent on that kind of service to score enough goals again to be in the hunt for an automatic promotion place.

His attacking service is vital in the way Kieran McKenna builds his teams, and Ipswich have struggled this term due to the output drying up. In the Championship, he would have the opportunity to get back to his best, and then use his first experience in the Premier League to shape him as a better player for when he returns.