3 EFL clubs that should push to sign Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi ft Birmingham City

Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi still has an uncertain future at this stage.

The Iraq international came on as a substitute against Liverpool last weekend, but his game time could be limited during the 2024/25 campaign, following the Tractor Boys’ promotion to the Premier League.

With the likes of Liam Delap and new signing Sammie Szmodics available as other options, Al-Hamadi could potentially benefit from a move away from Portman Road for the 2024/25

According to The Athletic, Ipswich have received numerous Championship loan enquiries for the forward, but no offers have come close to their asking price for the player at this point, with Kieran McKenna’s side seemingly keen to secure a loan fee for his signature and/or make a club pay a decent chunk of the player’s wages.

He is seen by Ipswich as a valuable member of the first-team squad and with this in mind, the Tractor Boys are only prepared to let him go out on loan if they believe it’s the right move for both them and the player.

Below, we have taken a look at three EFL clubs that should be looking to recruit him for the season.

Birmingham City have already brought in Alfie May this summer, but with former loanee Jay Stansfield (pictured above) and Scott Hogan both departing St Andrew’s since the end of last term, they could benefit from adding even more attacking firepower to their squad.

The addition of more firepower could be particularly important following Jordan James’ departure, with the Welshman leaving a big void to fill after his move to Stade Rennais.

Blues are thought to be pursuing a move for Stansfield again, but with Fulham boss Marco Silva ruling out an exit for the young attacker, the Midlands club may need to pursue alternative targets.

Al-Hamadi, who scored 4 goals in 14 second-tier appearances last term, could be a real asset to have in League One.

And he could be a more affordable addition than Stansfield, who looks set to be retained anyway.

Hull City have lost plenty of key attackers since the end of last season – and they desperately need to add more attacking quality to their squad if they want to have any chance of being involved in the promotion mix at the end of the season.

Oscar Estupinan may be available as an option again and Mason Burstow has joined, but more depth in the forward department is probably required before the window closes.

It may take Burstow some time to adapt to the second tier following his poor loan spell at Sunderland last term, and Al-Hamadi could be more of an attacking asset if he joined.

Billy Sharp, Aaron Connolly, Liam Delap and Noah Ohio’s departures in recent months reinforce the need for more options in this area – and Al-Hamadi could have a good chance of winning plenty of game time at the MKM Stadium.

Whoever offers the striker the most game time could win the race for the Tractor Boys’ man.

Oxford United are another team that could benefit from having another striker in their team.

Mark Harris and Dane Scarlett are currently their main options in the absence of Will Goodwin, but Scarlett hasn’t always been convincing during his career and it feels as though the U’s would richly benefit from having Al-Hamadi as a key competitor for Harris’ starting spot.

The latter has been superb during his time at the Kassam Stadium, but he does have his weaknesses and isn’t guaranteed to remain fit, so having Al-Hamadi as another option would be ideal.

The Ipswich striker could secure plenty of game time under Des Buckingham, with Scarlett not always thriving at a senior level and Goodwin yet to play in the English second tier.

Some people would argue that Oxford would have too many strikers at their disposal if they signed Al-Hamadi, considering they only play one up top, but the U’s don’t have enough quality in the striker department just yet.