Ipswich Town continue to look Premier League bound in the Championship this season, the Tractor Boys and Leicester City making those top two spots their own with an unwavering ability to pick up wins no matter what.
Recent victories have shown Kieran McKenna’s men in a different light however, not blowing teams away but rather having to dig deep in order to add another three points to their ever-increasing season tally.
An away trip to Vicarage Road on Tuesday night saw McKenna’s side leave it late to get another win against Watford, Sam Morsy leading by example as captain to score in the final ten minutes to help his promotion-chasing team win 2-1 by the skin of their teeth.
Ipswich’s knack of always finding the net – which has seen them score a division-best tally of 47 goals to date – has allowed them to pick up an impressive 16 wins from an action-packed 22 games.
But, one former Tractor Boys man would add even more potency and trickery into the ranks at Ipswich if he was playing in the current set-up at Portman Road.
Bersant Celina was a major fan favourite at Ipswich over two fantastic loan stints, the former Manchester City attacker playing the role of a maverick able to conjure up moments of immense magic regularly when playing for the Championship club.
Bersant Celina’s statistics at Ipswich Town
Celina would garner the reputation of being an audacious showboater over two spells in Suffolk, twisting and turning defenders for fun with skill whilst making tricky first touches in tight areas look second nature.
The Kosovan midfielder would also have the necessary goals in his locker to back up his aloof presence with Ipswich, managing to find the back of the net 14 times over 73 appearances.
Six of those goals came during the 2021/22 season for the Tractor Boys, Ipswich finishing in an unsatisfactory 11th place before McKenna galvanised the entire set-up to now be on the path to back-to-back promotions.
The 5 foot 11 maverick would be a valued presence currently at Portman Road, a backup option from off the bench that the 37-year-old manager could call upon to catch a team napping with an unbelievable bit of skill or a crucial strike from nowhere.
Yet, the 27-year-old now finds himself playing in Sweden for AIK – loaned out again by parent club Dijon, after a forgettable loan switch to another EFL club in Stoke City never really got off the ground for the unpredictable midfielder.
Bersant Celina’s statistics at AIK
Celina has made an impression on his new set of fans in Sweden already, however, registering three assists from his opening nine games.
But, the 27-year-old is yet to really show off his well-known free-spirited game with unorthodox tricks and skills aplenty. Instead, the new AIK recruit is being played in a more conservative central midfield role away from where he burst into life with Ipswich as a winger – playing through the middle of the park in his last two matches for AIK.
Celina excels when he is given the freedom to be a crowd-pleaser, referred to as a “showman” by East Anglian Daily Times journalist Adny Warren when recalling his time at Portman Road.
With six assists under his belt in that 2021/22 campaign, Celina is perhaps the type of attacking threat that could have added another string to McKenna’s attacking bow, had he stayed put following the end of his loan spell.
In that regard, a likeness can be seen between the Kosovo international and current loan sensation, Omari Hutchinson, with the Chelsea gem offering the creative spark this term with three goals and three assists to date in all competitions – half of what Celina achieved in the whole of 2021/22.
Much like the AIK ace, Hutchinson has that magic ability to impact the game from the flanks or in a playmaking berth, with Celina notably creating two big chances in 2023, while his young counterpart has provided four big chances under McKenna’s watch.
While Hutchinson has certainly made Ipswich fans forget all about Celina amid his heroics of late, it will be intriguing to see if the latter man’s well-known showboating act comes to the forefront for AIK soon, keen to endear himself to another set of supporters whilst out on loan again.
