Ipswich Town's £107m summer spend on 10 new players is set to rise further with forward Julio Enciso expected to join this week, but can they spark Premier League survival? The Tractor Boys have already spent a club-record £24m on Brazilian striker Emersonn from Toulouse, but they need a spark to stay in the top flight. Ipswich averaged less than a goal a game in their previous Premier League campaign (36 goals), and last season they scored 80 goals in the Championship - 12 down from 2023-24. Their need for firepower was obvious, and Ipswich started the summer window by spending a club-record £24m on Brazilian striker Emersonn from Toulouse. Emersonn scored six goals in 27 Ligue 1 games last season, and Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil admitted this week there is work to do. "He's getting there," O'Neil said. "He didn't have as good a summer as the rest of the lads. Emi came back in not as good shape as [others in the squad], so he's a bit behind. We need to get into him to help him with some of the deficiencies that he has in his game… Short term he'll be more inconsistent than he will long term. But that's part of it. When you shop abroad a little bit and you take a young one, there's going to be a little bit of a transition to the level." The uncertainty continues with the permanent arrival of Chuba Akpom, whose loan spell at Ipswich last season triggered a mandatory buy clause of £7m. The 30-year-old former Arsenal striker has played just 28 minutes of Premier League football in his career, and scored 38 times in 158 Championship appearances, including twice for Ipswich in 2025-26. In need of a spark, it is clear why Ipswich are after Enciso, who had a brief loan spell with the Tractor Boys in 2025. O'Neil's recent Strasbourg stint may have been brief, just five months, but in that time he worked with Enciso, the Paraguayan who scored against Germany at the World Cup and ended last season with three assists in one game against Monaco. That could be the level of creativity required to ensure Emersonn, in particular, does not become an expensive mistake.

O'Neil's own point to prove Beyond the money spent - including on 6ft 9in Dutch goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, who becomes the joint-tallest player in Premier League history - the spotlight will be on the Ipswich dugout. Kieran McKenna's June departure was abrupt, the 40-year-old resigning to take a break from football entirely following reports he was in talks with Fulham. And with Ipswich turning to O'Neil, the club and head coach are already part of history, with a record nine Premier League teams starting the season with a new manager. In O'Neil, Ipswich have a boss with a point to prove after his last stint in England ended on a sour note at Wolverhampton Wanderers. O'Neil had started brightly at Wolves, but a poor second half of the season saw him sacked. He will be looking to prove himself at Ipswich, and the Tractor Boys will be hoping he can lead them to safety.

What comes next? With the transfer window still open, Ipswich will be looking to add more players to their squad. They have already signed several new players this summer, but they will be hoping to add more depth to their squad. The Tractor Boys will be hoping to stay in the Premier League, and they will be looking to their new manager to lead them to safety. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 2nd in Championship, 84 pts, 23W-15D-8L from 46 games, recent form WDDWD. Goals this season: 80 scored, 47 conceded (+33 goal difference). Title race: 11 points behind leaders Coventry. Currently sidelined: Azor Matusiwa.