Ipswich Town target AFC Wimbledon’s Iraq striker Ali Al-Hamadi and former Middlesborough full-back Marc Bola
With one week of the January transfer window to go Ipswich Town are reportedly targeting AFC Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi and former Middlesborough full-back Marc Bola.
Ali Al-Hamadi, who is currently away with Iraq at the AFC Asian Cup, has been described as a ‘major target’ by the EADT who broke the news earlier today which has also been reported by TWTD.
It comes as Birmingham City have confirmed Jay Stansfield, reportedly a long-term Blues target, will be staying on loan with them for the rest of the season from Fulham while The Athletic have said former Town player Kieffer Moore, linked with a Suffolk return, is now unlikely to leave AFC Bournemouth. A move for Blackburn Rovers forward Sam Gallagher appears to have stalled.
Sky Bet Championship high-flyers Town are seemingly looking to bring in two strikers before the end of the transfer window to cover George Hirst, who is out with a hamstring injury for much of the remainder of the campaign, and Dane Scarlett, the loanee having returned to Totttneham Hotspur.
Al-Hamadi, who was born in Iraq but grew up in Liverpool, has scored 17 goals in 29 appearances for AFC Wimbledon this season, including 13 in 23 Sky Bet League Two appearances.
Having started had youth spells with Tranmere Rovers and Swansea City, he broke into senior football with National League Bromley before joining Wycombe Wanderers in March 20021, where he went on to make nine League One appearances,
The 6ft 2in frontman, who can also play in the wide attacking roles, went on to make nine League One appearances with The Chairboys without scoring ahead of a move to AFC Wimbledon last January. He subsequently scored 10 in 19 outings in League Two in the remainder of 2022/23.
He was not available when Town recently faced The Wombles in the FA Cup Third Round due to being away with Iraq whom he has helped top their group at the AFC Asian Cup.
Meanwhile, Turkish outlet Samsun Gazetesi has reported that Town have made a positive enquiry about Süper Lig side Samsunspor’s former Middlebrough left-back Marc Bola.
The club are said to need to move a player out to enable them to bolster their squad, with a cap of 14 foreign players.
Greenwich-born Bola, 26, had started his career with Arsenal, having spells with Notts County and Bristol Rovers before joining Blackpool after being released from the Gunners without having made an appearance with them at the end of the 2017/18 season.
After a successful season at Bloomfield Road he signed for Middlesbrough the following summer for an undisclosed fee.
He went on to make 96 appearances for Boro before rejoining Blackpool on loan in January 2020.
Bola headed to Turkey to sign for Samsunspor last summer.
With Brandon Williams having returned from his loan spell from Manchester United, the Blues have been using youngster Cameron Humphreys, normally deployed as a central midfielder, as cover for Leif Davis.
