Kieran McKenna will be satisfied with the overall performance of his Tractor Boys team this season, despite the fact that Ipswich Town’s inconsistent play in recent weeks has caused them to lose ground to rival Leeds United in the Championship top two.
The fact that the Suffolk-based team only gained promotion this season has truly been thrown to the side as they outperformed teams like Leeds and Leicester City, who are accustomed to playing in the Premier League rather than competing in the second division.
However, McKenna will soon need to evaluate his team of players who are vying for promotions and determine which players he can let go in the future when it comes to those who aren’t performing up to par.
Given that the former Manchester United defender is paid significantly more than his current performance in the Championship indicates, Axel Tuanzebe’s name may come up in that conversation.
The salary of Axel Tuanzebe at Ipswich Town
Since joining the Tractor Boys as a free agent last summer, the former Red Devil has only managed to make 10 appearances in the league. As a result, he has faded into the background at Portman Road and was benched against Cardiff last time out.
Tuanzebe, a 26-year-old right-back, had recently entered the team and performed poorly. At home against Bristol City at the beginning of the month, the Ipswich number 40 gave up possession 15 times in total. It is unclear if McKenna will keep Tuanzebe in Suffolk beyond his short-term 12-month contract.
Aside from his subpar performances on the game, Tuanzebe’s rich salary will worry some at Ipswich right now. The 6-foot-1 defender makes an outrageous £20,000 a week, making him the highest-paid player at the Championship club who isn’t on loan.
This indicates that even though Leif Davis, a former Leeds player, still plays a key role for the Tractor Boys, the Ipswich number 40 receives a larger salary than Davis.
Tuanzebe would appear uneasy with the ball at his feet and unresponsive against the Robins in the same game, but Davis would pull off another crucial magic moment to give his promotion-chasing team a late winner.
The salary of Axel Tuanzebe in relation to the Ipswich team
Excluding Brandon Williams and Jeremy Sarmiento, who are only on loan from Manchester United and Brighton, Tuanzebe earns an astonishing £65k per week and £20,000 per week, respectively, making him the top earning.
Even when Kieffer Moore’s salary is factored in—the former Cardiff City striker has thrilled his new fans by scoring six goals since joining on loan from AFC Bournemoouth—Tuanzebe still wins out because Moore makes £5k less a week than the 26-year-old, who makes a greater £20k salary of £15k.
Surprisingly, looking at the table above, several of the heroes who helped Ipswich win League One are paid less than the former Manchester United player.
Given that his incredible 17 assists in the division above this season, combined with his crucial goal against Bristol City, have occasionally delivered Ipswich victories, Davis will feel more unfairly punished than others on the list.
Given his history with the defender at Old Trafford and his high salary, McKenna undoubtedly wanted to see if he could bring out the best in Tuanzebe. However, given his forgettable performances while wearing an Ipswich jersey, the reunion between the two may not last past the end of the season.
