The last few years have been wild for Ipswich Town fans.
Just a few years ago, they were languishing down in League One, and then, following the appointment of an inexperienced manager in Kieran McKenna, they shot up the football pyramid, first to the Championship and then the Premier League.
However, while the Northern Irishman obviously had much to do with this rapid ascent, much of the success is also down to his players, including those who left the club in the summer.
In fact, this success hasn’t just been built off their own players either, as McKenna has had the fortune of signing several special talents on loan during his time in East Anglia, including one previously compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, who left in the summer and has seen his valuation soar in the last year or so.
Ipswich’s changing of the guard
Before we get to the loanee in question, let’s look at some other players who left Ipswich over the summer, starting with someone who spent a significant amount of time at Portman Road, Kayden Jackson.
The 30-year-old striker joined the Tractor Boys from Accrington Stanley in the summer of 2018 for around £1m, and while he was never prolific in East Anglia, he ended up with a reasonable record of 28 goals and 23 assists in 199 appearances, of which 99 were off the bench.
With his contract up in the summer, the Bradford-born poacher opted to join Derby County, and so far, things aren’t going too badly, as he’s scored three goals and provided two assists in 17 appearances for the Rams.
Someone who was even more crucial to the club’s promotion last season, who left in the summer, is Vaclav Hladky.
The Czech goalkeeper made 47 appearances across all competitions last year and 71 during his three years with the club, but upon the expiration of his contract following promotion, he made his way to recently relegated Burnley, where he’s unfortunately made just two appearances so far.
However, another of his former teammates joined the Clarets this season, but unlike the 34-year-old shot-stopper, he’s been a bit more involved.
The Ipswich loanee who’s seen his valuation soar
Now, several exciting youngsters spent time on loan at Ipswich last season, and as we’ve already mentioned, more than a handful of players left the club in the summer, but the star in question is officially a Brighton & Hove Albion player: Jeremy Sarmiento.
The Ecuadorian winger, who was dubbed “the new Cristiano Ronaldo” by some in his home country, joined McKenna’s Portman Road revolution part way through last season on January 3rd.
While he wasn’t one of the leading men at the club, he more than played his part in the limited minutes he was given.
Sarmiento’s Ipswich record | |
|---|---|
Appearances | 22 |
Minutes | 733′ |
Goals | 4 |
Assists | 2 |
Goal Involvements per Match | 0.27 |
Minutes per Goal Involvement | 122′ |
For example, in his 22 appearances, totalling just 733 minutes, the 22-year-old dynamo racked up an impressive haul of four goals and two assists, meaning he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 3.66 games.
However, once the season ended, the Madrid-born attacker returned to the Amex, and just a couple of months later, he was back on his way to the Championship, this time to join Burnley, where he has since made ten appearances, seven of which have come off the bench, and scored one goal.
Ultimately, Sarmiento will likely never live up to the tag of the “new Cristiano Ronaldo.”
However, the 23-capped international has proven himself a more than adept second-tier player, and, as such, his valuation has shot up over the last year, with Transfermarkt valuing him at €3.5m – £2.9m – a couple of months after his move to Portman Road and then €7m today, which is about £5.8m, or a 100% increase.
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