Cameron Burgess has left Ipswich Town for regular first team football and longer contract.Cameron Burgess has left Ipswich Town for regular first team football and longer contract. (Image: Ross Halls)
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
There's added emotion attached to this goodbye.
There's the natural sadness that will accompany the departure of any of the players who played key roles in back-to-back promotions. There's frustration/disappointment that someone who, by general consensus, is at the peak of their powers and could still do a very good job for the team has walked away for nothing. Also surprise that, having been linked with the likes of Valencia and Rangers, he's joined a Championship rival in Swansea.
Let's park those raw feelings for a moment though and break down exactly how/why this has happened.
From my understanding, a very good financial offer was put on the table many months ago. It was a two-year deal. There was no hiding from the fact he would have to battle Jacob Greaves for a starting spot, but it was stressed that the club saw him having an important role to play over the course of a relentless Championship campaign. Can anyone say that Ipswich should have done more than that? I don't think so.
From a Burgess perspective, can anyone blame him for turning down the above? Again, I don't think so. Playing in a World Cup for Australia next summer will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and he can't risk not playing regularly in the build-up to that. A three-year deal, meanwhile, provides more stability for his family towards the back of his career. Having worked so hard to climb the pyramid, it's only right he made the very most of this last big contract.
Ultimately, what both parties wanted/needed just didn't quite align. That's okay. There doesn't always need to be someone to hit out at.
Instead, let's celebrate Burgess' incredible Town journey (see below) and then, just as importantly, fully get behind Greaves. There may not have been much between their performances in a difficult relegation campaign (in fact, Burgess looked more reliable at times, certainly having a better understanding with left-back Leif Davis), but, let's not forget, it took Burgess some time to get up to speed with the Blues.
Greaves was in the Championship Team of the Year in 2023/24 and outstanding in the season opener against Liverpool last season. It's undeniable that, aged 24, he has the far higher ceiling. There are striking similarities with his journey so far and a certain Harry Maguire's. It's right that Ipswich give a £15m asset the best possible chance to grow. Like it or not, player improvement and trading is the name of the game in the world of Profit & Sustainability.
Cameron Burgess talked about the art of defending when arriving at Ipswich Town.Cameron Burgess talked about the art of defending when arriving at Ipswich Town. (Image: Steve Waller)
JOINING TOWN
Burgess was the 15th of 19 signings made by Paul Cook during his self-styled 'Demolition Man' summer of 2021. A fee of £750k was paid to Accrington Stanley to sign a player who'd not quite made the grade at Fulham before playing a mixture of National League, League Two and League One football for the likes of Cheltenham, Oldham, Bury and Scunthorpe.
"He offers strength and physicality in both boxes and that is something we have been missing slightly," said Cook. "He can also bring a balance to the defence with his left foot."
Accrington manager John Coleman felt his club 'should have held out for more money', with owner Andy Holt making public the exchange of texts that preceded Burgess having his Ipswich medical at St George's Park ahead of the season opener at Burton.
Cameron Burgess, one of 19 summer signings, endured a difficult first season at Ipswich.Cameron Burgess, one of 19 summer signings, endured a difficult first season at Ipswich. (Image: PAGEPIX LTD 07976935738)
TRICKY START
Burgess' debut came in a 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham, a night when Ben Tozer's long throw bombardment led to a late collapse. Less than a month later, he was part of a team that lost 5-2 at home to Bolton. Come mid-October, after a 2-0 lead was squandered at Cambridge, he was dropped for Toto Nsiala.
Cook was sacked. Burgess endured a disastrous night in the embarrassing 2-0 FA Cup second round replay defeat at League Two side Barrow. Kieran McKenna arrived and a back three of Janoi Donacien, Luke Woolfenden and George Edmundson helped the team keep seven clean sheets in a row.
It wasn't until mid-March, after Edmundson suffered an ankle injury, that Burgess made his first appearance under the new Blues boss. The following month, he apologised to supporters after a lunging studs up challenge on the keeper saw him dismissed in a 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury.
The feeling right then was that, as good as the big man was in the air, he looked horribly vulnerable to pace when getting turned high up the field and had some real limitations in possession.
Cameron Burgess arrived at Ipswich having won the most aerial duels in League One the previous season.Cameron Burgess arrived at Ipswich having won the most aerial duels in League One the previous season. (Image: © Copyright Stephen Waller)
STYLE OF PLAY
“I have a roll your sleeves up, work hard and defend mentality," Burgess told the EADT and Ipswich Star, heading into McKenna's first full season in charge.
“Starting out at Fulham, it was obviously possession-based. I learnt that side of the game and hopefully I can show that I can be calm and composed on the ball.
“But it’s also about putting your body on the line. Even the best ball playing defenders in the world are equally as good off the ball as they are on it. That art of defending sometimes get overlooked.
“You see guys like (Giorgio) Chiellini celebrating like mad when they make sliding challenges in the box or blocks on the line.
“If you can cover each others’ mistakes and regularly walk off the pitch with clean sheets then you’re onto a winner.
"Experience shapes you as a player. You realise what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at. I’m at a stage now where I can hopefully kick on. I want to go further in my career and Ipswich Town want to go further. Hopefully we can do that together.”
They proved to be prophetic words. But not before a set-back...
Cameron Burgess made a swift return to action after needing 30 screws to repair facial fractures.Cameron Burgess made a swift return to action after needing 30 screws to repair facial fractures. (Image: Pagepix)
FACIAL FRACTURES
Six weeks into the 2022/23 season, Burgess suffered a horrendous injury in a 2-0 home win against Bristol Rovers. When making a well-timed slide tackle, Harvey Saunders' knee accidentally caught him flush in the face. More than 30 screws were needed to repair several fractures around his right eye socket and cheekbone.
"He’s an example to everyone else in the squad," said McKenna. "He wasn’t getting any minutes at all on the pitch in the first few months but he really committed himself to the training programme and every single thing he could do in the gym, on the pitch or in the classroom to improve himself.
“He made sure he understood what he needed to do to play well in this team and made really good strides. It’s a shame because he was probably playing the best football of his career and was on an upwards trajectory, but he’ll come back strong again."
Again, prophetic words. Remarkably, he was back in action, wearing a protective mask, less than two months later.
A brief experiment with the ageing Richard Keogh in defence didn't work. From mid-February 2023 onwards, the centre-back pairing of Woolfenden and Burgess was pretty much stamped on the team sheet.
Cameron Burgess' powerful headed finish secured a vital 2-0 win at Bolton on the way to League One promotion.Cameron Burgess' powerful headed finish secured a vital 2-0 win at Bolton on the way to League One promotion. (Image: Pagepix)
ICONIC GOALS
Burgess scored two iconic away goals at the back end of both promotion seasons.
The first, in March 2023, was an expert header at a corner that sealed a 2-0 victory at Bolton. The image of him roaring up towards the away fans situated in the top-tier will forever stick in the memory.
Then, in April last year, it was his quick feet and cool finish in a crowded box that secured a 2-1 win at Coventry. That was the night when, effectively, we all knew that Town had ended their 22-year absence from the Premier League. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
Cameron Burgess started in three of Ipswich's four Premier League wins last season.Cameron Burgess started in three of Ipswich's four Premier League wins last season. (Image: Ross Halls)
TASTE OF THE TOP
It's a mark of Burgess' character that he didn't sulk when Ipswich went out and signed Greaves for £15m following promotion.
When Greaves suffered a hamstring injury at West Ham in early October, the Australian international once again proved he was ready whenever called upon. His Premier League debut came just 72 hours after he'd returned from representing his country in Japan.
He ended up making 16 top flight starts, including three of the four league wins that McKenna's men mustered (Tottenham, Wolves and Bournemouth). His performances in both games against Bournemouth were outstanding. He ended the season having made 125 clearances.
Cameron Burgess' winning goal at Coventry in April last year effectively secured promotion to the Premier League.Cameron Burgess' winning goal at Coventry in April last year effectively secured promotion to the Premier League. (Image: PA)
WHAT NEXT...
In 14 seasons of covering Ipswich Town I haven't seen a player make a more drastic improvement than Cameron Burgess. His transformation from head on a stick with real limitations in League One to a reliable and rounded Premier League performer really is remarkable. McKenna and his staff take a great deal of credit for that, but Burgess' well-publicised hard work and studious approach (he's been working on his coaching badges too) was the major driver. His rise should act as a major inspiration to others.
Swansea are an interesting choice of club given there was talk of Valencia recently. They've finished 15th, 10th, 14th and 11th over the last four Championship seasons, but the Welsh club now, like so many, have American investors. A major draw may also have been the involvement of Croatia and Real Madrid legend Lucas Modric. He recently acquired a minority stake in the club and reportedly has been speaking personally to prospective signings.
Burgess is already Swansea's fifth signing of the summer following Melker Widell (£4.25m Swedish U21 midfielder), Zeidane Inoussa (£5.1m Sweden U21 winger), Bobby Wales (£300k Scotland U19 forward) and Ricardo Santos (experienced centre-back, free).
Thanks for the memories Cam. Seeing you line up against the Blues next season will certainly feel strange.
Cameron Burgess goes down in Ipswich Town folklore having played a key role in back-to-back promotions.Cameron Burgess goes down in Ipswich Town folklore having played a key role in back-to-back promotions. (Image: Ross Halls)