Ipswich Town will hope a Connor Wickham 2.0 emerges soon: View | OneFootball

Wickham remains one of the best players Ipswich have ever produced through their academy system

There has been some incredible talent produced in the Ipswich Town academy over the years, but few will prove as fruitful - both on the pitch and financially - as striker Connor Wickham.

Wickham rose through the ranks with the Tractor Boys and announced himself to senior football in the Championship at the age of just 16 - just 11 days after his birthday.

His rise saw him frequently operate in the Premier League, and made Ipswich a substantial amount of money after just two years of being in their first-team - the Suffolk outfit will now hope another similar figure will come along in the years to come.

Connor Wickham proved himself at an early age at Ipswich

Wickham’s talent was clear to those inside Portman Road from a very early age.

He made his senior debut just over a week after his 16th birthday in a 3-1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers in the Championship in April 2009, making him still the youngest-ever player to turn out for the Tractor Boys’ senior side - a record he’s likely to hold for some time.

Despite his young age, he went on to be a key player for the Suffolk side over the course of the next two seasons, making 72 appearances in total.

It was his last season with Ipswich, in the 2010/11 campaign, that he truly set tongues wagging.

Still a teenager, he made 37 Championship appearances, almost hitting double figures with nine goals and a further two assists.

With the Tractor Boys still in the Championship at that point, a move to the top tier was written in the stars.

Connor Wickham made Ipswich Town a healthy profit from his sale

That move duly arrived in the summer of 2011, with then-Premier League side Sunderlandforking out an initial £8.1million for his signature.

Based on various terms in the move, Ipswich may eventually have made as much as £12million for the move.

That would be an eye-watering sum for a Championship side to receive in today’s football, so it was an incredible fee for Ipswich to receive over a decade ago.

Wickham went on to have a respectable career, primarily in the Premier League and the Championship, but seasons as consistent as his last for Ipswich would be few and far between.

With hindsight, it seems the Tractor Boys cashed in at the most opportune moment.

Ipswich Town will hope for the next Connor Wickham to progress

Under the steer of Kieran McKenna, it seems that Ipswich are just as well set up to give space to a young developing player like Wickham in the modern day.

In the summer of 2024, the Tractor Boys signed the likes of Jacob Greaves, Ben Johnson, Jack Clarke, Omari Hutchinson and Liam Delap — all playing a key role in the club’s return to Premier League football and all under the age of 24 years old.

Years before that also saw young prospects establish themselves as vital first-team players, like Leif Davis and Ipswich academy product Luke Woolfenden.

The Tractor Boys will remain on the look out for the next Wickham rising through their ranks, but it’s clear, under the likes of McKenna, the club will be ready to give any budding young talent a stage to prove themselves.