Ipswich Town goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky says he wants to stay with the club beyond the end of the season, as his current deal is set to expire this summer.
The 33-year-old has become a regular for the club this season.
Hladky joined Ipswich in the summer of 2021, coming from League Two side Salford City.
He started out as a backup goalkeeper for the Tractor Boys, with few opportunities.
However, this season has brought a shift. Following Ipswich’s promotion at the end of last season, the Czech has been a consistent goalkeeper for Kieran McKenna’s team in the Championship this season.
That has raised concerns over Hladky’s future, since his current contract at Portman Road is set to expire in the summer.
However, it appears that the 33-year-old knows exactly where he wants to be starting next season.
Vaclav Hladky talks on Ipswich Town’s future.
While some Tractor Boys fans may be anxious about the future of Hladky, it looks that they have little need to fear right now.
The goalkeeper admitted that, while he has not to sign a new deal at Portman Road, he is eager to do so.
When asked about his future at Ipswich Town as his contract nears its end, Hladky told TWTD:
“Actually, I do not know. The contract has not yet been signed, so that is all I know. You could ask someone else.
“My main point is that I want to stay here since it’s a huge club, and I enjoy coming here every day. I definitely want to stay here. Hopefully, we can find a way to complete it.”
Of course, in addition to the chance of a new contract, the goalkeeper hopes to help Ipswich achieve their second consecutive promotion this season.
Ipswich Town has a significant potential in the promotion chase.
The Tractor Boys are presently third in the Championship table, with five regular-season games remaining.
However, this might change when they face Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday night.
With Leicester City losing to Millwall and Leeds United drawing with Sunderland on Tuesday, a victory over the Hornets will propel Ipswich to the top of the table, three points clear of the play-off spots.
If they were able to accomplish so, they would be in a very strong position to secure promotion with such little time left in the campaign.
Ipswich should take note of Hladky’s statements.
Obviously, Ipswich’s current attention will be primarily on the struggle for promotion to the Premier League.
Given what is at risk, that is completely understandable. However, this does not imply that they should disregard Hladky’s statements.
The 33-year-old has done an outstanding job in assisting the Tractor Boys in coming so close to promotion this season, defying the expectations of the vast majority of people.
Indeed, with Christian Walton also out of contract in the summer, Ipswich will not want to lose both goalkeepers at the end of the season, leaving themselves with too much to do in that department when the transfer window reopens.
Given that he has been playing the most of the season, it would make sense for Hladky to be kept on.
With that in mind, Ipswich must take advantage of the goalkeeper’s statements by securing a new contract at Portman Road.
Leave a Reply