Buzzin Championship Football

Former Real Madrid midfielder signs for Ipswich Town.

Championship club Ipswich Town have completed the signing of former Spanish International Ivan Campo. The 34-year-old – who hasn’t played a competitive game since playing for Bolton in April – has signed a two year deal with the East Anglia club.

Ivan Campo certainly brings a wealth of experience to a very young Ipswich squad. Town boss Jim Magilton has admitted that part of the reason he brought him to Portman Road was because ‘the young players will really benefit from having him around’.

It will be the first time that Ivan Campo has played at Championship level after making 172 appearances for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see how he does in what is a very tough and physical league. Considering the fact that he might not have as much time to compose himself in the middle of midfield as he is used to, I wouldn’t be surprised if he operated for his new club as a centre back.

From this position he could guide the rest of the defence and use his experience to communicate with the midfielders in front of him. Jim Magilton recognises the presence Ivan Campo has and admits that his type of character has been missed since the departure of veteran defender Fabian Wilnus this summer.

As for the team as a whole, Ipswich made a losing start to their Championship campaign. They suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Preston North End, equalling the amount of times they lost at Portman Road last season. After just missing out on the play-offs last time out, they are still one of the promotion favourites, but will be looking to bounce back with a win against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

As for Ivan Campo, he isn’t likely to make his debut too soon. He hasn’t played in a competitive game for around four months and will want to improve his match fitness before playing in the Championship. When he does make his debut though, I expect him to be an important player for Ipswich this season.