Former AFC Wimbledon Forward Subject Of Championship Interest

Former AFC Wimbledon forward Ali Al-Hamadi could be set to make a loan exit from Ipswich Town this summer following their promotion to the Premier League, with Championship newbies Oxford United keen to land him. 

The 22-year-old joined Ipswich Town in January following an impressive stint with AFC Wimbledon and played a part in helping the Tractor Boys to reach the Premier League.

However, it now appears as though Al-Hamadi could spend the 2024/25 season in the Championship as clubs begin to swoop in to sign the forward on loan this summer.

Wimbledon to Ipswich, how did he fair last season?

Al-Hamadi began the 2023/24 campaign with League Two side AFC Wimbledon and continued to play a starring role for the Dons following his switch from Wycombe Wanderers in the months prior.

In total, he made 29 appearances in all competitions last season for the League Two side, scoring 17 goals which sparked the interest of Ipswich Town.

After being snapped up by the Tractor Boys, Al-Hamadi made 14 appearances in the Championship, with 13 of those being off the bench. During that time, he scored four goals and helped the club to reach the Premier League.

Would Al-Hamadi be a good fit for Oxford?

According to the Indonesian website BolaSport, Oxford United are keen to bring the forward to the Kassam Stadium on loan for the duration of the 2024/25 season.

One of the club’s co-owners Erick Thohir, is Indonesian and he has expressed a desire to bring the 22-year-old back to the Championship in a bid to retain the club’s second-tier status during their first season in the division after beating Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final.

The 22-year-old averaged a goal every 3.5 matches for Ipswich last season, made more impressive when 93% of his appearances came from the substitutes bench.

With Oxford coming into the Championship, they need to add additional quality to the side if they want to stand a chance of avoiding relegation back to League One.

His goals would bolster Oxford’s attacking options moving into the new campaign and would solve one of Des Buckingham’s problems heading into the summer transfer window.