Ipswich Town have thrived as underdogs in the past and will hope that their unfancied nature making the leap up to the Premier League can work in their favour again, with Kieran McKenna's men undoubtedly already being tipped to be relegation favourites.
Back-to-back promotions were achieved at breakneck speed by the Suffolk side, upsetting the likes of Leeds United in the process to soar up to the top flight at their expense. The Tractor Boys will just aim to take another step up in quality in their stride, in the knowledge that the top division is an unforgiving beast.
All three sides that tasted promotion glory up to the elite league last season were instantly relegated, with McKenna and Co eyeing up a few players to add to the group this summer to help avoid that set of circumstances from occurring again.
Angering the Whites by subjecting them to another campaign in the Championship is one thing, but that would only grow in intensity if Ipswich were successful in signing one of their former players.
Ipswich planning audacious swoop
Football journalist Alasdair Gold revealed on his Gold and Guest Talk YouTube channel recently that Ipswich could attempt to add even more salt to the gaping Leeds wound by going after Joe Rodon this summer, who is fresh off a fantastic loan season in West Yorkshire.
Gold stated that McKenna is a "big fan" of the Welsh defender, and so this would surely be a move that would appeal to the wantaway Tottenham Hotspur man, with an opportunity to test himself in the Premier League forthcoming, which could backfire on Spurs down the line.
Leeds were keen to bring Rodon back on a permanent deal, but this would definitely throw a major spanner in the works that would make it difficult for the Whites to win his services again, considering Farke's men fell at the final hurdle in the second-tier play-off final to resign themselves to another Championship season.
Joe Rodon's season in numbers
Only making 15 Premier League appearances across his stop-start time in a Spurs shirt to date, since leaving Swansea City behind in 2020, it could be a gamble expecting the Welshman to instantly set the world alight at Portman Road in the heart of defence, but the ex-Leeds number 14 feels ready to be given a fair crack at the level, based off his glittering loan spell at Elland Road.
Rodon was a crucial cog in the Farke machine last campaign that was so agonisingly close to an instant return to the top-flight, only for Adam Armstrong to break Leeds hearts at Wembley for his promotion-winning Southampton side, by bagging the only goal of the game.
The 6 foot 4 colossus would end up making 50 appearances for the Whites in all competitions, failing to miss a single second of action in 2024.
As can be seen glancing at the table above, Rodon would form a daunting duo with Ethan Ampadu at the back over that 50-game span, as 19 clean sheets would end up being tallied up whenever the ex-Swans man was on the pitch for the Whites.
Described as being "outstanding" for his heroic efforts by BBC Radio Leeds presenter and former Whites defender Jon Newsome, it did feel as if it was written in the stars that the imposing centre-back would be returning back to Leeds in some capacity for the season ahead, even if it was another slog in the Championship.
Now, however, it could be that the popular 26-year-old opts for an adventure in Suffolk over returning back to what he had previously described as a "second home", ready to test himself in the division above now and hopefully shore up what was a leaky defence in the second-tier last campaign.
Ipswich shipped a poor 57 goals across the course of the full 46-game schedule, with Farke's men conceding considerably less at 43, but McKenna's men wouldn't have cared one bit then, as their gung-ho mentality won them the right to play in the league above.
1. Leicester City (P)
89
41
2. Ipswich Town (P)
92
57
3. Leeds United
81
43
4. Southampton (P)
87
63
5. West Brom
70
47
6. Norwich City
79
64
Southampton also benefitted from a full-throttle approach, as can be seen when glancing at the top six above, but both the Saints and Ipswich will know a strong and resilient defence will be crucial when playing the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, with the Tractor Boys potentially ditching the likes of Cameron Burgess at the back to accommodate for their possible new recruit.
How Rodon is an upgrade on Burgess
This could be a harsh alteration to McKenna's line-up, considering Burgess is now recognised at International level for Australia off the back of his time in Suffolk, but one that could be necessary to stop the goals from flooding into Ipswich's net.
Burgess kept seven fewer clean sheets when playing for his overachievers last season, on top of averaging fewer accurate passes, (53.6) per game to Rodon's 66.0 passes.
McKenna will want a calmer and more measured player coming out from the back, especially with the quality increasing in the division above, and he could get that in the form of the Wales defender, alongside winning himself a more imposing defender unafraid to roll his sleeves up for the cause.
The centre-back would win 4.1 ball recoveries per game last season during the regular season, with Burgess beating him in this department actually with 4.5 to show off his tenacity, but when it comes to tackles, Rodon's bravery shines through more, with 1.16 won per 90 minutes over the last year – according to FBRef – to the former Accrington Stanley man's lesser 0.66.
Therefore, it feels like a no-brainer that if Ipswich can be successful in their hunt for Rodon that they go after him, making a potential statement in the process that they want to stay put in the Premier League, and aren't just simply enjoying the ride whilst they can.
This will sting for supporters of Leeds, but nobody could begrudge Rodon a shot at the division above, after nearly getting there when playing in West Yorkshire.
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