Ipswich Town have navigated the choppy waters of the Premier League relatively well so far this season, with Kieran McKenna‘s Tractor Boys not tasting defeat in the difficult division since travelling to Manchester City at the end of August.
The top-flight underdogs are still without a win in the league though, with three draws picked up on the trot now, as Ipswich stalwart Sam Morsy scored in the last minute versus Southampton last time out to secure a dramatic share of the points.
Whilst Morsy shone in the middle of the park for the away side, there was a former Ipswich man in midfield for Russell Martin’s Saints who never realised his potential when he was still on the books of the Suffolk club. He’s since come on leaps and bounds after his initial start at Portman Road.
Flynn Downes’ time at Ipswich
The midfielder in question is Southampton star Flynn Downes, who the Saints fought long and hard over this summer to snap up permanently from West Ham United, after he helped the South Coast outfit achieve promotion to the Premier League.
Ipswich fans will only really know about Downes, on the contrary, as a product of the club’s youth academy who never really ended up leaving an impression on the senior team, before then finding his feet away from his boyhood employers.
Downes amassed 99 appearances for the Tractor Boys in total, with three goals and four assists registered across his stay, before winning himself a move to Swansea City in 2021.
The Swans manager at the time was Martin funnily enough, who took a shining to the unpolished midfielder, with the Welsh outfit picking up the former Tractor Boys man for a meagre £1.5m.
Ipswich must regret signing off on this deal, as Downes has now become a key part of Martin’s Southampton team in the Premier League after his stay in Wales, with the Saints having to fork out far more than £1.5m to land him permanently this summer.
Downes’ transfer value in 2024
Southampton splashed the cash to secure the services of Downes for good this off-season, with the stylish midfielder costing the newly promoted outfit a bumper £18m, a far cry from his low valuation when first joining the Swans.
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Downes justified that steep price tag too, having played a crucial part in Southampton achieving promotion via the playoffs come the end of the 2023/24 season, with calm and controlled performances second nature from the ex-Ipswich man in tense games.
|
Downes for Southampton (24/25) |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (* = per game) |
Downes |
|
Games played |
33 |
|
Goals scored |
2 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Touches* |
76.3 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
|
Accurate passes* |
60.8 (93%) |
|
Ball recoveries* |
4.9 |
|
Total duels won* |
4.5 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
Not always involved in the thick of action from a goalscoring perspective, Downes still managed to dictate games from the middle of the park for Martin’s men in the second tier, with 76.3 touches averaged per clash, alongside managing a 93% pass accuracy per game too.
He was even described as being “monstrous” by his adoring Southampton boss last season, with Martin waxing lyrical about his ability to be physical if he needs to be, on top of his measured presence on the ball.
He hasn’t looked out of his depth in the top-flight either, even as his side struggles towards the foot of the division near his ex-employers, with the Saints number four only misplacing four of his 54 passes in the recent 1-1 draw against McKenna’s visitors.
Players around Downes will have to grab the bull by the horns more in order to keep Southampton afloat in the Premier League, but there must be a lot of regret on Ipswich’s end now that they didn’t show more resolve when trying to keep hold of their academy product in 2021, as Swansea ended up winning themselves a top bargain.
