“He’s so good with Premier League potential”- McKenna revealed the player that has the potential to play in the PL level
McKenna Confident Matusiwa Has Premier League Quality
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna believes new signing Azor Matusiwa has the potential to thrive in the Premier League.
With club captain Sam Morsy set to join Kuwait SC, the Blues have invested £7.8 million in Matusiwa as his replacement in defensive midfield.
The 27-year-old Dutchman, who developed through Ajax’s academy, spent the last four seasons in France’s Ligue 1 with Reims and Rennes.
He joined Ipswich’s pre-season camp in Austria last week and featured in the first half of Saturday’s 4-1 win over FC Blau-Weiss Linz.
“Midfield is definitely an area we needed to strengthen this summer — and still do,” said McKenna. With Morsy on the way out, his remaining central midfield options currently include Jack Taylor and Cameron Humphreys.
“Azor’s a player the club has followed for some time. He used to play with Jens Cajuste (who was on loan at Ipswich last season) at Reims, and we kept tabs on him throughout last year,” McKenna added.
“He’s high-energy, excellent on both sides of the ball — defends, presses, intercepts, uses possession well, and is a real team player.”
While acknowledging that it’ll take time for Matusiwa to fully adapt, McKenna said the Dutchman has made a positive early impression both on and off the pitch.
Until this summer, McKenna had made 43 signings across seven transfer windows, with just two — Jens Cajuste (Napoli) and Ben Godfrey (Atalanta) — arriving from clubs outside England. Godfrey, notably, had prior Premier League and Championship experience.
Ipswich have also added defender Cedric Kipre on loan from Reims. The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international brings solid Championship experience from previous spells at Wigan, Cardiff, and West Brom.
“We know Cedric well from his time in England,” said McKenna. “But it’s been clear for some time, both internally and publicly, that we need to broaden our scouting reach and tap into more international markets.”
“While Azor hasn’t played in England before, he has over 100 Ligue 1 starts. We believe his qualities will not only suit the Championship but also translate well to the Premier League.”
Kipre’s arrival comes as Ipswich look to reinforce their backline, following the departures of Axel Tuanzebe and Cameron Burgess to Burnley and Swansea respectively.
He made his first appearance at the heart of a back three during the Austria training camp.
“We needed to add strength and depth defensively,” McKenna said. “Cedric’s a strong, experienced defender who should integrate well.”
With just under three weeks until the Championship opener against Birmingham, Ipswich’s squad still appears thin in midfield and attack.
Alongside Morsy’s impending departure, Omari Hutchinson has attracted interest from Brentford.
“There’s still work to be done, no question,” McKenna admitted. “We expect more movement in and out, for different reasons.
The aim is to bring in the right players as quickly as we can, settle the squad, and push forward. We just need to stay focused and come through this period with a strong group ready to compete.”
