Ipswich face rivals Coventry to sign the £20m star

Ipswich Town and Coventry City both know they need to invest heavily in their squads when the summer transfer window opens later this month.

After securing automatic promotion to the Premier League from the Championship, another priority should be to improve their defensive set-up.

The Tractor Boys experienced a top-flight attack in the 2024/25 season under Kieran McKenna and scored 82 goals in 38 games as they were relegated to the second tier at the first attempt.

They know they need to add more quality at the back, as Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves, and Leif Davis were also regulars when their defense wasn’t good enough in the Premier League last time out.

On the other hand, Coventry must also improve their backline because they conceded 45 goals in 46 games, even though they won the league, and they will be under a lot of pressure next season as a promoted team.

Coventry City are eyeing a deal to sign the England international

The Sky Blues, who won the Championship title ahead of the Tractor Boys, are familiar with Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitchen as Frank Lampard’s preferred centre-back pairing.

Now, the newly promoted club are reportedly looking for a defender to complement what they currently have at the back.

According to talkSPORT, Coventry City are among the clubs interested in signing Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the summer transfer window.

The Sky Blues are reportedly looking to bring in the England international to bolster their defensive options, after Southampton were dumped out of the play-offs due to Spygate.

West Ham United, Everton, and Crystal Palace have recently been named as potential suitors for the centre-back, meaning there could be intense competition for his services.

The Saints have signed the defender from Manchester City for £20m and are said to be unwilling to accept any lower offers this summer.

Why Ipswich should rival Coventry for the signing of Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Ipswich have not been named as one of the clubs interested in the England star, but should make a move against rivals Coventry in the coming weeks.

Both teams need to improve their defenses in order to prepare for the upcoming Premier League season and Harwood-Bellis’ form in the Championship suggests that he will be better for both.

He usually plays on the right of the centre-back pairing, as a right-footed striker, and has produced more impressive displays than Ipswich’s O’Shea and Coventry’s Thomas, who also play that role.

Harwood-Bellis made more clearances in the league than both O’Shea and Thomas, ranking eighth in the division, and this is particularly notable given the club he played for.

The 24-year-old star was the only player among the top four teams to score at least 300 points, indicating that his good numbers were down to position and quality rather than having to defend a poor team.

Harwood-Bellis has also won more duels (244) than O’Shea (236) and Thomas (181) in the Championship, showing that he has the ability to find better opposition players and the discipline to make regular concessions.

The £20m full-back could also help Coventry or Ipswich offensively, after scoring seven goals for the defender in the Championship this season.

O’Shea and Thomas, on the other hand, have combined for four goals between them and don’t offer much of an aerial threat in the opposition box, meaning that Harwood-Bellis could win Ipswich or Coventry more points in the Premier League by going forward to make the difference in matches.

Overall, the Southampton defender appears to have the defensive and attacking skills to improve both newly-promoted clubs heading into the top-flight campaign, which is why they should fight for his signature in the coming weeks and months.