According to the East Anglian Daily Times, AFC Wimbledon and Ipswich Town have agreed on a price of little more than £1 million for Ali Al-Hamadi, who will go to Portman Road.
A number of Championship and League One clubs have expressed interest in the 21-year-old throughout the course of the month. After completing a deal from Wycombe Wanderers, he scored 10 goals in the second half of the previous season and has now scored 17 in 29 appearances across all competitions this season.
The Iraqi international has always seemed to be destined for greater things, received word that the Tractor Boys had made an initial approach. This led to manager Johnnie Jackson stating over the weekend that Al-Hamadi was enticed by Ipswich’s offer:
After their 2-1 victory against Mansfield Town on Saturday, Jackson told South London Press, “There has obviously been big interest in Ali.”
Because he’s away in Iraq, it’s challenging to navigate.
“A guy like him will get attention when he performs at that level. It’s clear that the young player turns heads when a team like Ipswich enters.
The Dons were rumored to have sought £2 million for their top player, but it looks like a deal of somewhat over £1 million “with various add-ons” has been struck. Although a transfer to East Anglia now appears inevitable, the report also alleges that other clubs have sought to steal a march on the agreement.
For the first time since 2002, Ipswich plans to compete in the Premier League the following season. Their recent performance has made them vulnerable to dropping out of the top two, as Leeds United and Southampton have both closed the deficit to just one and two points, respectively. Due to the significantly greater goal differential between the two teams, manager Kieran McKenna decided to look for a new attacker.
There is room in the squad for Al-Hamadi’s arrival because Freddie Ladapo joined Charlton Athletic last month. McKenna will be eager to finalize the deal so he can use Al-Hamadi’s skills for this weekend’s match against Preston North End.
Author’s Perspective
There is a certain amount of danger involved in making the major move from League Two to the Championship. Al-Hamadi, on the other hand, has improved since dropping to League Two and appears to be a player who belongs in a higher tier.
In addition to their shocking FA Cup exit at the hands of non-league Maidstone United this past weekend, Kieran McKenna will be worried that his team has only won once in their last seven league games and that he needs more firepower to fend off the challenge from the teams right below him. Though risky, this transfer is worthwhile.
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