Ipswich must compete with Coventry to sign the “perfect” star.

Ipswich Town and Coventry City have learned that Hull City will join them in the Premier League after the Tigers won the play-off final at Wembley on Saturday.

The Bulls and Sky Blues have little chance of getting past Hull as they have had a few weeks to prepare.

However, it all depends on how they make their transfer plans and if they can build a team capable of competing in the top flight.

This season, for example, Sunderland finished above both Leeds, who are also standing, and relegated Burnley, after winning the Championship play-offs last year.

Now, Ipswich and Coventry must chart how the Black Cats adapt to the Premier League ahead of their business in the summer window.

What Ipswich and Coventry can learn from Sunderland’s Premier League success

Knowing that there is a big gap between the Championship and the Premier League, Sunderland decided to bring in a few experienced additions.

They signed Nordi Mukiele from PSG for £9.5m and Granit Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for £13m, bringing in two players who have won titles in Europe’s major leagues and have bags of experience in the Champions League.

Xhaka, in particular, is the type of signing Ipswich and Coventry need to make. He had played 225 Premier League games for Arsenal earlier in his career, meaning he entered as an experienced player in England’s top flight.

The Switzerland international, who was described as the “driving force” of his season by pundit Micah Richards, helped lead the team to survival and a fantastic first season back in the big time with his consistent displays in the middle of the park.

Now, Coventry are reportedly interested in signing a star who could be their own version of Sunderland’s Xhaka, while Ipswich have to deal with them in his signing.

Ipswich must compete with Coventry for their signing Granit Xhaka

TEAMtalk recently reported that Coventry are keen to sign Manchester United’s Mason Mount on loan, as the Red Devils are keen on a short-term deal to get him back to form.

The England international, who was not selected by Thomas Tuchel for the upcoming World Cup, ended the season with 12 Premier League games for United, as he struggled for minutes behind Bruno Fernandes in the tenth role.

Mount has a wealth of experience in the Premier League, almost as much as Xhaka does, and will arrive at Coventry or Ipswich as a proven talent at that level, and someone who can be expected to deliver a quality performance.

There is also a chance that one of them could help him get back to his best, which happened when he was at Chelsea and used to run for England at international level.

Mount netted 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 games in all competitions for the Blues, who won the Champions League in 2021, and that includes a return of 13 goals and 16 assists in the 2021/22 campaign.

Like Xhaka, the England star has been there and done it at the highest level, winning domestic and European trophies, and will arrive as the most experienced player at Coventry or Ipswich.

Both of these promoted sides need players to rely on week in and week out in the Premier League, and it remains to be seen whether Jack Rudoni or Marcelino Nunez have what it takes to play in the top flight.

Signing a quality player like Mount, especially on loan, would be a huge boost for Coventry or Ipswich if they can get a deal over the line in next summer’s transfer window.

Coventry have the edge over Ipswich and the attacking midfielder, however, as Frank Lampard coached him at Derby County and Chelsea, and could use his relationship with him to sell to the Sky Blues.

Although it may not appear on paper, the Bulldozer Boys must push to beat Coventry this summer as he has all the earmarks of a player who could be their Xhaka at Portman Road.