Just how good is the squad Ipswich Town have assembled for a third season in League One? On paper, at least, the answer is 'very'. STUART WATSON breaks it down.

Ipswich Star: Tom Carroll (left) pictured celebrating for Tottenham alongside Harry Kane.Tom Carroll (left) pictured celebrating for Tottenham alongside Harry Kane. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

PREMIER LEAGUE EXPERIENCE

Ipswich have five players who have played in the Premier League.

The combined top-flight experience of that quintet is 80 starts, 65 sub appearances and four goals.

Tom Carroll (Tottenham and Swansea): 56 starts + 38 sub apps. Goals: 1

Sone Aluko (Hull): 23 + 19. Goals: 2.

Kyle Edwards (West Brom): 1 + 4. Goals: 0

Rekeem Harper (West Brom): 0 + 3. Goals: 0

Bersant Celina (Man City): 0 + 1. Goals: 0

Ipswich Star: Sone Aluko (left) in Premier League action for Hull against West Ham United's Kevin Nolan.Sone Aluko (left) in Premier League action for Hull against West Ham United's Kevin Nolan. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE

The Town squad contains seven players who have 50+ Championship starts to their name.

Of those seven, only two (Aluko and Morsy) are 30+, while three (Bersant Celina, Christian Walton and Conor Chaplin) are 25 or younger.

Four players have been part of promotion winning Championship sides. Rekeem Harper, Kyle Edwards (both West Brom, 19/20) and Sone Aluko (Hull, 12/13) went up via the top-two, while Tom Carroll was a play-off winner (QPR, 13/14).

Aluko (Fulham, 16/17), Carroll, Celina (both Swansea, 19/20) and Chaplin (Barnsley, 20/21) have all been part of teams that have made the play-off semi-finals.

Just six players in the 28-man squad – Tomas Holy, Vaclav Hladky, Kane Vincent-Young, Scott Fraser, Louie Barry and James Norwood – haven't played in the Championship.

The squad’s combined Championship experience is: 875 starts, 302 sub appearances and 95 goals.

Sam Morsy (Wigan and Middlesbrough): 140 starts + 6 sub apps. Goals: 6

Sone Aluko (Blackpool, Hull, Fulham and Reading): 138 + 55. Goals: 25

Lee Evans (Wolves, Sheff Utd and Wigan): 98 + 22. Goals: 6

Bersant Celina (Ipswich and Swansea): 84 + 25. Goals: 14

Christian Walton (Wigan and Blackburn): 83 + 0.

Ipswich Star: Christian Walton played all 46 Championship games for Blackburn in 2019/20.Christian Walton played all 46 Championship games for Blackburn in 2019/20. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Conor Chaplin (Barnsley): 67 + 11. Goals: 15

Tom Carroll (Derby, QPR, Swansea, Aston Villa): 63 + 19. Goals: 1

Macauley Bonne (Charlton and QPR): 34 + 33. Goals: 14

Rekeem Harper (West Brom): 28 + 17. Goals: 1

Hayden Coulson (Middlesbrough): 25 + 21. Goals: 1

Jon Nolan (Ipswich): 23 + 3. Goals: 3

Matt Penney (Sheff Weds): 22 + 6.

Toto Nsiala (Ipswich): 17 + 5. Goals: 1

Ipswich Star: Bersant Celina spent two seasons in the Championship with Swansea.Bersant Celina spent two seasons in the Championship with Swansea. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Kayden Jackson (Ipswich): 14 + 22. Goals: 3

Kyle Edwards (West Brom): 12 + 20. Goals: 3

Janoi Donacien (Ipswich): 9 + 1

George Edmundson (Derby): 8 + 2. Goals: 1

Cameron Burgess (Fulham): 4 + 0

Wes Burns (Bristol City): 2 + 19. Goals: 1

Joe Pigott (Charlton): 2 + 10

Idris El Mizouni (Ipswich): 1 + 3

Luke Woolfenden (Ipswich): 1 + 2

Ipswich Star: Joe Pigott has scored 54 goals at League One level.Joe Pigott has scored 54 goals at League One level. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

LEAGUE ONE EXPERIENCE

Eight of the Town squad have already clocked up more than 100 League One starts.

The squad’s combined League One experience is: 1,381 starts, 271 sub appearances and 206 goals.

Sam Morsy twice won the third-tier title at Wigan (15/16 and 17/18), Walton was also among the Latics title winners of 17/18, while Lee Evans won the League One title at Wolves in 13/14.

Toto Nsiala and Jon Nolan were part of a Shrewsbury team that made the League One Final in 17/18, while Wes Burns was part of a Fleetwood side that qualified for the League One play-offs in 19/20.

Tomas Holy (Gillingham and Ipswich): 154 + 0

Cameron Burgess (Bury, Scunthorpe, Accrington and Ipswich): 144 + 8. Goals: 7

Joe Pigott (Gillingham, Scunthorpe, AFC Wimbledon and Ipswich): 135 + 36. Goals: 53

Wes Burns (Bristol City, Fleetwood and Ipswich): 128 + 62. Goals: 24

Sam Morsy (Chesterfield and Wigan): 121 + 3. Goals: 9

Scott Fraser (Burton, MK Dons and Ipswich): 111 + 11. Goals: 26

Lee Evans (Wolves, Bradford, Wigan and Ipswich): 103 + 8. Goals: 9

Jon Nolan (Chesterfield, Shrewsbury, Ipswich): 102 + 9. Goals: 16

Luke Woolfenden (Ipswich): 60 + 2. Goals: 2

Janoi Donacien (Ipswich, Accrington and Fleetwood): 50 + 7

Christian Walton (Bury, Southend, Wigan and Ipswich): 47 + 0

James Norwood (Ipswich): 45 + 15. Goals: 20

Kayden Jackson (Ipswich): 41 + 19. Goals: 12

Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth, Coventry and Ipswich): 35 + 24. Goals: 13

Kane Vincent-Young (Colchester and Ipswich): 30 + 5. Goals: 2

Macauley Bonne (Colchester, Charlton and Ipswich): 25 + 41. Goals: 11

George Edmundson (Odham and Ipswich): 20 + 2. Goals: 1

Kyle Edwards (Ipswich): 3 + 1

Tom Carroll (Leyton Orient and Ipswich): 9 + 6

Rekeem Harper (Blackburn and Ipswich): 7 + 4

Hayden Coulson (Ipswich): 4 + 0

Matt Penney (Bradford and Ipswich): 3 + 3. Goals: 1

Bersant Celina (Ipswich): 1 + 0

Sone Aluko (Ipswich): 1 + 2

Louie Barry (Ipswich): 1 + 1

Idris El Mizouni (Ipswich): 1 + 2

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP

Aluko (Rangers and Aberdeen): 99 + 24. Goals: 22

Hladky (St Mirren): 47

Fraser (Dundee Utd): 23 + 10. Goals: 1

Burns (Aberdeen): 7 + 6

Coulson (St Mirren): 5 + 1

Edmundson (Rangers): 4 + 3. Goals: 1

TOTAL: 185 + 44. Goals: 31


OTHER TOP-FLIGHTS

Vaclav Hladky (Slovan Liberec, Czech): 73

Celina (FC Twente, Holland and Dijon, France): 51 + 8. Goals: 5

Holy (Fastav Zlin, Czech): 20 + 0

Aluko (Beijing Renhe, China): 16 + 0. Goals: 3

TOTAL: 160 + 8. Goals: 8


OTHER SECOND TIERS

Penney (St Pauli, Germany): 13 + 4. Goals: 1

Fraser (Dundee Utd, Scotland): 37 + 11. Goals: 1

Holy (Slavia Prague, Vlasi, Viktoria Zizkov; Czech): 61 + 1

Ipswich Star: Lee Evans (right) has been capped four times by Wales.Lee Evans (right) has been capped four times by Wales. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

INTERNATIONAL CAPS

Celina (Kosovo): 29

Morsy (Egypt): 7

Aluko (Nigeria): 7

Evans (Wales): 4

Bonne (Zimbabwe): 2

Nsiala (DR Congo): 1

El Mizouni (Tunisia): 1

Ipswich Star: James Norwood celebrates League Two promotion at Tranmere.James Norwood celebrates League Two promotion at Tranmere. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

OTHER HONOURS

Hladky: Czech Super Cup runner-up (Slovan Liberec) 15/16, EFL Trophy winner (Salford) 20/21

Donacien: League Two winner (Accrington) 17/18

Edmundson: SPL runner-up, Scottish League Cup runner-up (Rangers) 19/20

Nsiala: National League winner (Grimsby) 15/16, EFL Trophy runner-up (Shrewsbury) 17/28, FA Trophy runner-up (Grimsby) 15/16,

Morsy: League Two winner (Chesterfield) 13/14, EFL Trophy runner-up (Chesterfield) 13/14

Evans: FA Trophy runner-up (Newport) 2011/12

Ipswich Star: Conor Chaplin celebrates League Two promotion at Portsmouth.Conor Chaplin celebrates League Two promotion at Portsmouth. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Nolan: National League winner (Grimsby) 15/16, FA Trophy runner-up (Grimsby) 15/16, EFL Trophy runner-up (Shrewsbury) 17/18

Aluko: SPL runner-up (Rangers) 11/12, FA Cup runner-up (Hull) 13/14

Burns: Scottish League Cup runner-up (Aberdeen) 16/17

Fraser: Scottish FA Cup runner-up (Dundee Utd) 13/14, Scottish Challenge Cup winner (Dundee Utd) 16/17

Barry: FA Youth Cup winner (Aston Villa) 20/21

Chaplin: League Two PO semis (Portsmouth) 15/16, League Two champions (Portsmouth) 16/17

Bonne: National League winner (Leyton Orient) 18/19, FA Trophy runner-up (Leyton Orient) 18/19

Norwood: National League play-off final (Tranmere) 16/17, National League PO winner (Tranmere) 17/18, League Two PO winners (Tranmere) 18/19

Jackson: League Two winner (Accrington) 17/18