Why Ipswich Town are so ‘excited’ by arrival of Azor Matusiwa, he will be key for Kieran McKenna this season

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Ipswich Town have completed their first major bit of transfer business this summer, and EFL Analysis can reveal how the Tractor Boys hierarchy feel about Azor Matusiwa.

Ipswich Town were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship last season, and now head coach Kieran McKenna is tasked with firing the Tractor Boys to another promotion.

The Tractor Boys have endured a mixed start to the summer transfer window after Ipswich missed out on Lawrence Shankland, with the longstanding target penning a new deal at Hearts, who was viewed as a potential centre-forward replacement after Liam Delap’s £30m Chelsea move.

In terms of incomings, Ipswich so far this summer have signed former West Brom defender Cedric Kipre on loan from Stade Reims as well as veteran goalkeeper David Button on a free transfer from Reading.

However, the jewel in Ipswich’s summer window crown as of yet is the acquisition of Rennes midfielder Azor Matusiwa, and EFL Analysis can exclusively reveal the internal thoughts at Portman Road regarding his arrival.

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How Ipswich Town feel about new signing Azor Matusiwa

Following relegation from the top flight, Ipswich are going through a transitional summer, with several incomings and outgoings occurring at Portman Road.

Ipswich winger Omari Hutchinson’s £35m move to Brentford fell through earlier this week, after we revealed earlier in the window that Ipswich expected Premier League bids for Hutchinson to come.

With Delap already departed and his countryman seemingly close to following him out the Ipswich exit door, McKenna will have a difficult task on his hands to achieve instant promotion without the attacking duo, in what could be the best Championship yet.

Despite this, the signing of Dutch holding midfielder Matusiwa, for a fee estimated to be in the region of £10m will be a major benefit to McKenna next term.

Via information from our Chief Football correspondent, Graeme Bailey, EFL Analysis can reveal the internal thoughts at Ipswich regarding the 27-year-old.

Bailey explained: “Ipswich are very excited by Matusiwa. I think he’s one who’s gone under the radar a bit.

“I was told that they did consider him last year instead when they signed Jens-Lys Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips; he was on their radar then. So they’re really, really happy to get him now.

“For Rennes, it wasn’t doable last term, but now Ipswich are very, very happy with him. They think he could be a massive cog for them in that midfield. Everyone is very excited.”

When analysing Matusiwa’s statistics from last season for French top-flight outfit Rennes, it’s evident why Ipswich believe the former Ajax youngster will be that “massive cog” in the Tractor Boys’ engine room.

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Azor Matusiwa statistics show why Ipswich Town have made an incredible signing

After three seasons in Ligue 1 with Reims, Matusiwa joined Rennes in the January window of 2024, where he made 47 appearances.

The Dutch youth international enjoyed his best career season to date last term, scoring once and assisting four goals in 31 appearances for Rennes to help his side to a 12th-placed finish in the French top flight.

Matusiwa’s only assist, and two of those goals, came in a man-of-the-match display in a 5-1 win over Le Havre in which he bossed the midfield battle.

At just shy of £10m, Matusiwa’s signing falls just outside of Ipswich’s five most expensive signings list, but it still remains a considerable outlay and show of faith in the defensive-minded midfielder.

His metrics and displays from last season, as well as his capacity to develop further under McKenna’s stewardship, should have all Tractor Boys desperate for the 2025/26 Championship fixture list to kick off to see the highly-rated Matusiwa make his second tier debut.