Sammie Szmodics could make his Derby County debut against Swansea City this weekend, having left Ipswich Town at the end of the January transfer window
Sammie Szmodics has left Ipswich Town for Derby County
Sammie Szmodics has left Ipswich Town for Derby County(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Former Ipswich Town defender Luke Chambers admits he is surprised Sammie Szmodics has been allowed to join a promotion rival.
The striker, who joined the Tractor Boys from John Eustace’s Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2024, has been reunited with his former boss at Derby County.
The 30-year-old made a deadline day switch that will see him stay at Pride Park until the end of the season.
It was a move that provoked considerable comment, with the Rams and Ipswich seemingly locked in the same promotion race – and forced Town boss Kieran McKenna to admit the transfer wasn’t a ‘football decision’.
McKenna said last week: “It was a decision that was made in the best interests of our group dynamic, of our dressing room culture, of the values of our dressing room and of our team.”
Coincidentally Ipswich faced Derby at the weekend, with Szmodics not eligible to face his parent club, and speaking ahead of what turned out to be a 2-1 away win, Chambers reacted to the move.
The ex-defender, who spent nine years at and made nearly 400 appearances for Ipswich, admitted the deal doesn’t ‘sit well’ with him.
Asked he is was surprised he told Sky Sports: “For me, yeah, absolutely. He's gone to Ipswich in the Premier League season as someone that's gone in there to score goals.
“The amount of goals he's scored in the Championships 33 goals in 43 games the season before last, he's scored 15 goals in 20 games under John Eustace at Blackburn.
“So these two have a relationship that's obviously been bubbling away for the last however long since he left that club.
"But for him to be able to just walk out of Ipswich Town to a promotion rival doesn't sit too well with me from the outside.
“We've seen the interview, and I think a lot can be said in football and players don't really ever get the chance to tell their side of the story, so without judging too much on it, Sammy Szmodics wants to play football.
“He wants to play in what he feels is his best position, which he's proven in the Championship. He knows what that is.
“I don't think he probably had that opportunity, with the injuries that he had at Ipswich and the depth of their squad over the last two years, he hasn't probably had that and he just doesn't want to keep probably sitting in the stands or not getting the game time he wants. So he's had an opportunity to leave and it's probably worked out best for both sides.”
Szmodics could make his Rams debut against Swansea City this weekend, as Eustace’s men look to bounce back to winning ways.
What did you make of McKenna's comments? Have your say
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