Ipswich Town seal back-to-back promotions as they secure return to Premier League after 22-year-long absence 

English side Ipswich Town have sealed back-to-back promotions, securing a return to the Premier League after a 22-year-long absence.

Under Scottish manager Kieran McKenna, they got promoted to the EFL Championship after finishing second in the EFL League One with 98 points. They almost won the title as well, finishing just three points behind champions Plymouth Argyle.

Many expected them to struggle to adapt to the toughness of the Championship, which is notoriously known to be one of the most difficult leagues in world football.

However, they defied all the pre-season expectations, racking up wins throughout the 2023-24 campaign. They finished in second place with 96 points, just one point behind champions Leicester City. They fell to just six losses (28 wins, 12 draws) in 46 games, the least in the league by far.

The Ipswich Town side is led by captain Sam Morsy. The 32-year-old Egyptian has been a key cog in the middle of the park, controlling things from defensive midfield.

Left-back Leif Davis was one of the most productive offensive wing-backs in the league. He created the second most chances (107) of any player and led the entire league in assists (18 in 43 games).

Ipswich were the highest-scoring team in the entire league, with a staggering 92 goals across the campaign. However, they did not have a singular player take the lead in terms of goal-scoring and become their star forward.

It was a team effort by the likes of striker Conor Chaplin (13 goals), winger Nathan Broadhead (13 goals), and Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson (11 goals). Others, like loanees George Hirst and Kieffer Moore, chipped in with timely contributions to keep their incredible run going.

Defensively, Ipswich were only the seventh-best team in the division. However, goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky and defenders Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess kept the third-most clean sheets (15) in the division.

It will be really interesting to see how Ipswich will fare in the Premier League, and whether they will be able to avoid the drop in their first top-flight campaign in 22 years.