Pundit Don Goodman has tipped Ipswich Town to make a move for Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku should they be relegated to the Championship.
The Tractor Boys were beaten 4-2 by Nottingham Forest on March 15 and entered the March international break third last in 18th place in the Premier League with just 17 points after 29 matchweeks.
Kieran McKenna‘s side are nine points from 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, who they play on April 5, and relegation looks almost certain.
The Blues boss will hope his side can bounce immediately back to the top flight in the event of relegation, and pundit Goodman has claimed that they could look to sign Peterborough forward Poku to help them do so, telling Football League World: “If you’re Burnley, Southampton or Ipswich [they could sign Poku]. It’s obviously going to depend on which players stay and which players leave.
“That’s assuming Southampton and Ipswich will be in the Championship, Burnley will hope to be in the Premier League. So whether he’s ready for the Premier League just yet is a debate to be had, but certainly if I was a Championship club and I needed an exciting, ball-carrying winger that both scores and creates goals, he would be on my radar.”
Goodman did add that the 23-year-old would benefit from a move to a Championship club rather than move from League One to the Premier League as he would be allowed to develop without the scrutiny that comes with playing in the top flight.
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Kwame Poku in profile
Peterborough are 15th in League One with 45 points but boast the fifth best offensive record amongst the 24 clubs in the division.
Poku has scored 10 goals and provided six assists in the third tier, with only Malik Mothersille registering more direct goal involvements at Peterborough.
However, it should be noted that Poku has only featured in 20 league matches this term, 17 fewer than Mothersille, and he only needs two more goals and assists to match his best ever return.
The Ghanaian is an adept ball carrier on the right of attack, and his ability to bring play forward would help Ipswich take advantage of their opponents during transition attacks.
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Who else do Ipswich need?
If historical precedent is followed, Ipswich will face a tough battle to earn promotion back to the Premier League given only 29% of teams that have been relegated from the top flight since 1995-96 have returned to the pinnacle of English football at the first attempt.
McKenna’s job will no doubt be made harder should he lose striker Liam Delap, who has frequently been linked with a move away to the likes of Manchester United.
Signing an experienced striker in the summer could be of paramount importance, though defender Jacob Greaves is also said to be attracting interest.
Poku is unlikely to be enough to secure promotion back to the Premier League by himself, and fans must hope that any money generated through sales is reinvested into the first team.
