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How Ipswich Town are shaping up ahead of Premier League opener against Sunderland Sunderland will kick off their Premier League campaign with a visit to Ipswich Town later this month. The clock is ticking as Sunderland prepare to open up their 2026/27 Premier League campaign with a visit to newly promoted Ipswich Town. The Tractor Boys secured promotion into the top flight just 12 months after suffering relegation by landing runners-up spot in the Championship behind eventual winners Coventry City - but a lot has changed at Portman Road since the end of a successful season. So where do Ipswich stand with just two weeks to go until Regis Le Bris and his players kick off a historic season with a trip to East Anglia? A change in the dugout There was some surprise when Kieran McKenna stepped down from his role with the Tractor Boys after leading them to an immediate return to the Premier League. Former Wolves and Strasbourg head coach Gary O’Neil was named as his successor in June and Sunderland will provide the opposition for the first competitive fixture of his Portman Road reign. New signings secured The Tractor Boys have wasted little time in adding to their squad and have spent around £110m since promotion was secured as Championship runners-up. As it stands, the most expensive signing of their summer business is a £24m deal for Toulouse’s Brazilian striker Emersonn, closely followed a £20m deal for Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu. Fulham duo Sasa Lukic and Issa Diop have also joined O’Neil’s ranks along with Burnley midfielder Florentino Luis, Celtic forward Daizen Maeda and goalkeepers Kayne van Oevelen and Kjell Scherpen. Finally, loan signings Cedric Kipre and Chuba Akpom have now made permanent moves to Ipswich. Several departures confirmed There have been a number of departures from Ipswich since the end of last season with goalkeeper Arijanet Muric joining Sassuolo on a permanent basis after spending last season on loan with the Serie A club. Defender Elkan Baggott has returned to the Championship with Millwall and Conor Chaplin and Conor Townsend have make free transfer moves to Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion respectively. Wes Burns has also joined Leicester and goalkeeper Cieran Slicker has agreed to spend the season on loan at Barnsley. Ashley Young has retired and loan signings Jens Cajuste and Ivan Azon have returned to their parent clubs. Former Sunderland captain Dan Neil has also left after his loan deal came to a close and has since joined Rangers. Mixed fortunes in pre-season O’Neil’s preparations for his first season in charge started with two games in Spain as a goalless draw with FC Cartagena was followed by a 2-1 defeat against Osasuna. The Tractor Boys then split their squad for two games on the same day with one side losing 2-0 at Oxford United and the other claiming a 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers. Chuba Akpom got the only goal of a home win against French club Le Havre before a Leif Davis brace and a Emersonn strike helped Ipswich to a 3-0 victory against Rayo Vallecano. An away friendly at Union Berlin this weekend will wrap up preparations for the opening day clash with Sunderland. Your next Sunderland read: What Anthony Patterson's imminent sale means for Sunderland's SCR position explained