Ian Evatt belives Ipswich Town have done some 'really good business' in the transfer market this summer ahead of this weekend's meeting with Bolton Wanderers as he believes the trips to Portman Road and Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday will pose the biggest challenges this season.
Wanderers travel to take on the Tractor Boys this Saturday at Portman Road. They will be seeking to begin the 2022/23 campaign in positive fashion after a top 10 finish last season.
The Suffolk side finished below Wanderers in the table, but have strengthened this summer in a bid to earn promotion out of the division. Freddie Ladapo, Dom Ball, Greg Legh, Marcus Harness, Leif Davis and the loan signing of Tyreece John-Jules from Arsenal have been acquisitions in a strong window for the Portman Road club.
READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt on new season, expectations & team decisions ahead of Ipswich Town
McKenna is embarking on his first full season as Ipswich boss. Evatt is impressed by what he has seen from the Tractor Boys following the former Manchester United assistant boss joining the club last December and the way the Suffolk side play the game.
The Bolton boss believes the encounter will be up there with the best games this campaign in League One and hopes the quality is not diluted with it being the opening game of the season. Evatt belives the trips to Portman Road and Hillsborough in March to take on Sheffield Wednesday will be the most challenging faced by Wanderers this campaign.
He said: “I think since Kieran’s took the job they’ve had a massive upturn in fortunes. I think he’s a very talented young coach, I think his team are excellent, pleasing on the eye. I appreciate and enjoy watching them myself, but I’m sure that he’ll look at us and think a similar thing to be honest.
“I think it’s a really high quality game. I think it’s almost spoilt that it’s so early on and the first game of the season because I think it’s going to be technically and tactically one of the best games of the season in this division. That’s my own opinion.
“Whether we’re quite ready and 100 per cent for it, we’ll only know that on Saturday with the quality of the game. Normally, early season games are quite cagey and nervy and they lack a bit of intensity and I think both teams want to play with intensity, both want to dominate the ball, both have strong core values about what they expect from each other and from our identity, so I think it’s going to be an exciting matchup. They’ve spent vast amounts of money again.
“They’ve got some really good players, some really good business. All the players they’ve signed are excellent players, so it’s a really challenging game and probably the most difficult game of our season. I would think them and Sheffield Wednesday away will be the two most challenging games, but we don’t fear anybody. We’re going there to show what we can do as well and hopefully get the three points.”
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