\n Lewis Cook has spent the last 10 years at Bournemouth (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n LEWIS COOK\n<\/p>\n
\n Of all the players O\u2019Neil has worked with, Lewis Cook is probably top of my list of targets when considering quality, experience and how realistic they would be. He has been linked with Ipswich recently, and a summer move would make a lot of sense.\n<\/p>\n
\n The midfielder has spent the last decade at Bournemouth, having joined from Leeds in 2016. He\u2019s made 190 Premier League appearances, scoring once and registering 13 assists in that time.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 29-year-old, who has one England cap to his name, is a Rolls Royce midfielder. He was instrumental in O\u2019Neil\u2019s Bournemouth team, with his work rate and discipline proving vital. He\u2019d be a strong addition at Portman Road, and he could be available now that his current club are in Europe.\n<\/p>\n
\n David Brooks has earned 45 senior caps for Wales (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n DAVID BROOKS\n<\/p>\n
\n Right winger David Brooks didn\u2019t play a big role in O\u2019Neil\u2019s Bournemouth side. He was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in October 2021, returning to action in March 2023 after 536 days.\n<\/p>\n
\n O\u2019Neil called his return as \u2018huge for everybody\u2019 at the club. While Brooks only played 11 games under O\u2019Neil, I do wonder if they have a strong working relationship from that period. If so, maybe they could link-up once again, which would see Ipswich bring in a talented left-footer who likes drifting inside to create and score.\n<\/p>\n
\n Like Cook, Bournemouth\u2019s Europa League qualification could see Brooks move this summer. He\u2019s impressed in the Premier League and could thrive playing regular minutes for the Blues. If one Welsh winger moves on in the form of Wes Burns, maybe another could come in? Town could do with a signing in that position.\n<\/p>\n
\n Jordan Zemura has enjoyed his time in Serie A with Udinese (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n JORDAN ZEMURA\n<\/p>\n
\n Jordan Zemura might not be the most glamorous name on the list, but I think he\u2019d be a really sensible signing for Ipswich, who need cover for Leif Davis at left-back.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 22-cap Zimbabwe international was a regular for Bournemouth in the Championship, then made 19 Premier League appearances before making the move to Serie A to join Udinese. His aggressive runs and impressive pace have caught the eye.\n<\/p>\n
\n Zemura, now 26, has been given good minutes in Italy, playing as both a left-back in a back four and a swashbuckling wing-back in a back five. If he\u2019d be open to returning to England, and Udinese would consider a sale, I certainly wouldn\u2019t be against this one. His attack-first approach does make him similar to Davis, however, and maybe Ipswich need a different profile.\n<\/p>\n
\n Max Kilman has had a tough start to life at West Ham (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n MAX KILMAN\n<\/p>\n
\n Right, hear me out. Yes, I know Max Kilman has had a pretty torrid time at West Ham since leaving Wolves, but that doesn\u2019t mean that his career can\u2019t be recovered.\n<\/p>\n
\n The centre-back was crucial during O\u2019Neil\u2019s time at Molineux. He played every minute of every Premier League game for Wolves in 2023\/24, captaining them until his \u00a340m move to the London Stadium. Nuno Espirito Santo clearly doesn\u2019t fancy keeping him around in the capital, so a move is likely.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kilman was full of praise for O\u2019Neil when they worked together in the West Midlands. Perhaps by reuniting, we\u2019ll see the 29-year-old return to his best as a slick left-sided centre-back who can handle himself under pressure from top-level attackers. He\u2019d be good competition for Jacob Greaves and would be another leader in the dressing room.\n<\/p>\n
\n Toti Gomes thrived in O’Neil’s first season at Wolves (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n TOTI GOMES\n<\/p>\n
\n While there may be questions over Kilman\u2019s physicality and aggression, the same can\u2019t be said for Toti Gomes, who has played for Wolves since 2020, making more than 100 Premier League appearances before last season\u2019s relegation.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 27-year-old thoroughly enjoyed playing under O\u2019Neil, highlighting how comfortable he felt in his role at Molineux in 2023\/24. At the same time, O\u2019Neil has praised Gomes on numerous occasions. If the Portugal international wants an immediate return to the top flight, that relationship could surely be rekindled.\n<\/p>\n
\n An athletic left-footed centre-back, I think Gomes would slot in well next to Dara O\u2019Shea, and he can also cover left-back when needed, just like Greaves.\n<\/p>\n
\n Andrew Omobamidele spent four years at Norwich City (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n ANDREW OMOBAMIDELE\n<\/p>\n
\n I appreciate this is another controversial one, as Andrew Omobamidele came through the ranks at Norwich and played 55 games for them, but there\u2019s no denying that he\u2019s a good player. Crucially, he\u2019s shown a significant improvement playing under O\u2019Neil at Strasbourg.\n<\/p>\n
\n The centre-back had a tough time at Nottingham Forest before making the move to France last year. Then, under O\u2019Neil, we\u2019ve seen him develop into a really solid defender at a high level, showcasing his athleticism, physicality and pace.\n<\/p>\n
\n A natural right-sider, the 23-year-old is unlikely to displace O\u2019Shea or be happy to play a supporting role, so a shift to a back five would likely be necessary for this one to happen. But if Omobamidele wants to continue working under O\u2019Neil and return to the Premier League, this might appeal to all parties.\n<\/p>\n
\n He\u2019d also join the ever-growing group of Irish Ipswich players.\n<\/p>\n
\n Martial Godo joined Strasbourg from Fulham last summer (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n MARTIAL GODO\n<\/p>\n
\n Martial Godo was playing non-league football with Margate \u2013 on a dual registration with Dartford \u2013 as recently as 2022. He was in League One, on loan at Wigan from Fulham, as recently as 2024. Last season, he notched 10 goals and one assist for Strasbourg in Ligue 1.\n<\/p>\n
\n The 23-year-old is a real talent. A former England youth international who now represents the Ivory Coast, he\u2019s a strong dribbler who wants to isolate defenders, with his turn of pace proving useful in bursting into the box. In a counterattacking side \u2013 which Town could certainly be under O\u2019Neil \u2013 he\u2019d be a useful asset.\n<\/p>\n
\n Godo and O\u2019Neil have formed a bond over in Ligue 1, with limited English speakers at the club. The left winger\u2019s height \u2013 5\u20197 \u2013 is a bit of a concern for Premier League football, however, and any move to Portman Road would surely hinge on Jaden Philogene or Jack Clarke leaving.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n SEBASTIAN NANASI\n<\/p>\n
\n Finishing with an ambitious option, Sebastian Nanasi has been a star for Strasbourg since joining from Malmo in 2024. Last season, he bagged 10 goals and five assists for them in all competitions, playing an important part in their run to the Conference League semi-finals.\n<\/p>\n
\n An exciting no.10 who can also play an inside left role, he thrives as a creator who drops deep to combine with the midfielders behind him. When he\u2019s around the box, he hits the ball incredibly well and has a knack for finding gaps to set up team-mates.\n<\/p>\n
\n With much of Town\u2019s creativity stemming from Marcelino Nunez and Leif Davis, someone of Nanasi\u2019s profile would be high on my list for summer recruitment. At 24, he\u2019s still got a high ceiling and plenty of room to develop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Cook has spent the last 10 years at Bournemouth (Image: PA) LEWIS COOK Of all the players…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":656071,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-656070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}