Ipswich Town have signed forward, Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee.
Szmodics has joined Ipswich after he produced three goals and one assists in two appearances for Blackburn this season, meaning that he has left with 43 goals in 91 total outings for Rovers.
Last season though saw him score 33 goals and created four assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, which earned him the Championship Golden Boot with 27 league goals in 44 second-tier appearances.
It was therefore no surprise that various top-flight clubs were interested, but Ipswich managed to negotiate a reported £9m fee plus add-ons for the 29 year-old.
In his first interview for TownTV, Szmodics was “delighted” to join the club and considered it to had “… felt right this time with the challenge of the Premier League.”
Szmodics added that he had spoken to some of his Blackburn teammates, who encouraged him to take the leap and move to Ipswich.
“After speaking to a couple of the lads, including Lewis Travis who was here last season, they just pushed me and said that I need to come and work under this manager, which is something I can’t wait to do.
“It’s every boy’s dream to play in the Premier League and I’ve always said to my friends, family and agents that I’ll get to the top one day.”
Szmodics already has one aim as he concluded: “There’s nothing more I want than to score at Portman Road for Ipswich Town. I am over the moon to be here and looking forward to the season ahead.”
Manager, Kieran McKenna added that Szmodics “… brings a lot of different qualities to the squad and is an experienced player who has worked extremely hard over the years to improve his game and to become more and more effective as a player.
“That was shown last year with the fantastic season he had at Blackburn with the goals he scored throughout the campaign, including one at Portman Road of course.”
McKenna also spoke of his belief that the Ireland international can bring his work ethic to the team, given that he has links to the area – having grown up 17.9 miles away in Colchester.
“He has a real feel for scoring goals and works so hard for the team both on and off the ball. He knows many of the players here, as well as some of the staff and has ties to the club and to the area.”
McKenna also believes that Szmodics “… gives us another really versatile forward player who can operate in different roles and systems, giving us a big goal threat and plenty of other qualities to add to the team.”
Szmodics began his career with Colchester where he graduated through their academy and scored 38 goals in 163 senior appearances, amidst a loan spell at Braintree Town in 2015-16 season.
A tough stint at Bristol City followed with just four appearances before he moved to Peterborough on an initial loan, and went on to net 27 goals in 96 outings for the Posh which included promotion to the Championship and subsequent relegation.
Blackburn meanwhile thanked Szmodics for his impact and wished him well in the Premier League.
“Sammie, we thank you for the memories, we wish you well in the Premier League and we look forward to seeing you back at Ewood Park again sometime in the future.”
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