Ipswich Town appear to be telegraphing a transfer possibility, with the repeat appearance of officials at a particular club.
The club in question is FC Porto. Given the talents they’ve nurtured down the years, the Portuguese side has often been followed by Premier League giants like Manchester United and Chelsea.
Ipswich Town were not really regulars. That is until this season.
Promotion to the Premier League changes everything from a recruitment perspective. Gary O’Neil currently has his side in 10th position, with breathing space between Ipswich and the relegation zone. An addition or two in January would come as no surprise.
Sport Witness records show that Ipswich Town had an official at the match between Porto and Manchester City at the beginning of November, and then were back again to watch the match against Benfica later in the month.
The visits have been to Porto’s Estádio do Dragão, and Ipswich returned on Tuesday evening. Porto lost 1-0 to PSV in the Champions League, so it wasn’t the best performance to see. However, it’s increasingly clear a transfer idea is building.
There may well have been more visits, these three are just the ones we know about.
Victor Froholdt and Gabri Veiga
Pedro Reinart, Sport Witness’ resident Portugal watcher, picked out Victor Froholdt and Gabri Veiga as possible target for Ipswich Town. The pair, both midfielders, were pretty average on Tuesday evening.
Borja Sainz, Seko Fofana and Francisco Moura, the latter a Coventry City target during the summer, are other potential targets. Obviously Sainz excelled with Norwich City, Ipswich’s fierce rivals.
Whilst it’s increasingly apparent someone at Porto has caught the attention of Ipswich Town, it’s obviously difficult to identify who it would be.
Porto won the league last season and fight for trophies every year, often being in the Champions League. The bigger stars at the club may believe they can aim higher than Ipswich Town.
Therefore, it’s the one around the periphery who are likelier.
