Ipswich Town slammed for late Conor Chaplin, Portsmouth decision - "worst of the transfer window" | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit has given his verdict on forward Conor Chaplin's loan move to Portsmouth.

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...

Ipswich Town made the surprise decision to allow forward Conor Chaplin to join Portsmouth on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window.

It was a busy summer for Ipswich following their relegation from the Premier League, with 11 new signings arriving at Portman Road in David Button, Ashley Young, Darnell Furlong, Cedric Kipre, Azor Matusiwa, Jens Cajuste, Marcelino Nunez, Kasey McAteer, Sindre Walle Egeli, Chuba Akpom and Ivan Azon.

There were also some high-profile departures during the course of the summer, including Luke Woolfenden, Cameron Burgess, Sam Morsy, Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap, but while many of those were expected, few predicted that Chaplin would be heading out the exit door on deadline day.

Chaplin joined the Tractor Boys from Barnsley in the summer of 2021, and he played a crucial role as Kieran McKenna's men won back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, but he lost his place in the team in the top flight last season.

The 28-year-old started for Ipswich in their 2-2 draw at home to Derby County on Saturday, but just 48 hours later, he was given the green light to return to former club Portsmouth on loan, and given that he is out of contract with the Suffolk outfit next summer, it seems he may have played his final game for the club.

Ipswich Town slammed for shock Conor Chaplin, Portsmouth transfer decision

When asked for his reaction to Chaplin's move to Portsmouth, FLW's Ipswich Town fan pundit Adam Wilkin hit out at the club's decision to allow the forward to depart, and he claimed that instead of being sent out on loan, he should have been a guaranteed starter for McKenna's men this season.

"I was quite happy with the transfer window yesterday, and I know that we've got to cut squad numbers because we're about four or five over the limit," Adam told FLW.

"But letting Chaplin go would be the worst decision of the transfer window.

"He is the only number 10 in the building that is up to speed with McKenna's formation, and he is the only number 10 in the building that can get the best out of a pacy winger down the right-hand side.

"We've just bought one of those in Kasey McAteer, and we're apparently registering Wes Burns, so the link-up play with those two will be crucial.

"I just don't understand it, it makes absolutely no sense to me.

"We've got four right-backs in the building, of which we needed to get rid of some of those.

"We've got Cameron Humphreys, who could have done with a loan, and we've got Elkan Baggott, who could have done with a loan.

"We've got so many players that you could cut from the squad without losing Chaplin, who is not only influential in the dressing room, but scored a ton of goals the last time we were in the Championship.

"I'm yet to see goalscoring ability from any of our other attacking players, despite what their history says, but I've seen Chaplin score goals in this team.

"I think he should be starting regular games this season, not going out on loan anywhere."

Ipswich Town have taken a big gamble with bold Conor Chaplin call

It is fair to say that few Ipswich supporters saw Chaplin's departure coming on deadline day, and as Adam said, there were many other players who looked more likely to move on if McKenna was keen to trim his squad.

The Tractor Boys do have plenty of depth in the number 10 position, with new signing Chuba Akpom competing with Sammie Szmodics for a place in the team, and given Chaplin's poor form in the Premier League last season, it is perhaps not too surprising that he has fallen down McKenna's pecking order.

However, Chaplin is a proven performer at Championship level, and he played an integral role in Ipswich's previous promotion campaign, so with many of his other attacking options struggling to make an impact in the early weeks of the season, McKenna has taken a huge risk by allowing the forward to return to Portsmouth.