One of the key components of the recent success achieved by McKenna’s men has been the contributions of attacker Conor Chaplin
The Tractor boys signed the ace for just £750k from Barnsley, and he has gone on to be one of the side’s most prized assets, and could have a serious say in the closing stages of the Championship’s race for promotion.
Chaplin had a very decent season in his first campaign at Portman Road, and scored nine goals, which he complemented with three assists in 39 League One appearances, as the Suffolk outfit finished 11th in the third tier.
The former Portsmouth man was then absolutely sensational during the 2022/23 League One season, which was McKenna’s first full season with the club, as he scored a remarkable 26 goals, and created five assists in 45 appearances.
His contributions that campaign saw him finish as the division’s joint top scorer alongside Peterborough United’s Jonson Clarke-Harris, and earned the Tractor Boys automatic promotion to the second tier.
Chaplin has continued to be dangerous in the Championship, and has scored 12 goals, and provided teammates with seven assists in 37 appearances so far.
However, the 27-year-old recently sustained an injury and consequently did not feature the subsequent week when his side faced Sheffield Wednesday.
Ipswich will hope Chaplin’s return from injury is soon
McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times following the victory over Wednesday that Chaplin had a strain in his “side/back” which he picked up in training.
Given how pivotal the ace has been towards the Tractor Boys’ promotion chasing efforts so far, McKenna will be hoping to see one of his star men fit to play by Easter weekend.
With 12 goals in the Championship this season, the Englishman is the Portman Road outfit’s joint-leading scorer this campaign alongside Wales international Nathan Broadhead.
| Conor Chaplin Championship stats | According to FotMob |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 37 |
| Starts | 36 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 10.1 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 3.80 |
But Broadhead has only managed three assists this campaign compared to Chaplin’s seven, so it is clear to see who the Tractor Boys’ main goal threat is.
On the other hand, Chaplin was absent during his side’s 6-0 thrashing of the Owls, which shows that McKenna’s men are very dangerous even without their leading goal contributor.
Having signed the forward for just £750k, the Tractor Boys will be delighted that Chaplin could fire them all the way to the Premier League, which seemed unlikely when they signed him as a League One outfit in 2021.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply