Peterborough United are in talks to secure a deadline day signing from Championship side Ipswich Town.
The League One side are reportedly interested in signing defender Elkan Baggott. The Indonesian international has experience in League One, spending time on loan at Blackpool last season.
How have Peterborough United fared this season?
It has been a terrible start to the season for Peterborough United. Darren Ferguson’s side are currently bottom of League One.
The Posh are one of three sides in the third tier yet to experience victory so far this season. They started their campaign with defeats to relegated sides Cardiff City (2-1) and Luton Town (2-0).
Further misery was piled on the Cambridgeshire side after defeat in the EFL Cup to League Two side Accrington Stanley. Since then, they have picked up one point and scored one goal which came in their draw against Bradford City.
Their most recent defeat came against Exeter City. The 3-0 loss to the Devon side has led to Ferguson looking to add to his squad on transfer deadline day.
With this in mind, the Posh are reportedly in talks with Ipswich Town to sign defender Elkan Baggott.
What could Elkan Baggott bring to Peterborough United?
Baggott has made over 50 appearances at EFL level through various loan spells with the likes of Gillingham, Bristol Rovers and most recently Blackpool. The 22-year-old will be able to bring his experiences from these loan spells with him to the Weston Homes stadium.
The Indonesian international is capable of putting his body on the line and defending in 1v1 situations. Last season, Baggott won 86.7% of tackles attempted and blocked an average of 1.01 shots per 90 minutes.
Another attribute of his that might benefit Peterborough is his aerial ability. At 6ft 3in he won an average of 4.53 aerial duels for Blackpool with a 65% success rate.
This ability of the defender to win balls in the air could be a benefit both defensively and offensively. The 22 year old is also able to build attacks from deep with his passing and dribbling ability.
During the 2024-25 season, Baggott had a passing accuracy of 82.8% and a dribble success rate of 66.7%. These attributes will allow Ferguson’s side to play their way out of defence.
Why do Peterborough United need Elkan Baggott?
As mentioned, Peterborough have had a poor start to the season and will be looking to progress higher up the table. The key reason why Baggott will be of interest to Posh is to improve their defence.
So far this season, the League One side have conceded 11 goals. The Posh rank 22nd for goals conceded per match in the division with 1.8 goals per game.
On top of this is the fact that they are consistently giving their opposition chances to score. In their opening six games, they have an expected goals (xG) conceded figure of 8.1 xG, which is the fifth worst in the division.
Taking all of this into account shows the reason why Peterborough would be keen on improving their defence ahead of the transfer deadline. On top of this is the offensive quality that Baggott could bring.
Peterborough are yet to score from a set piece this season and rank 23rd for goals scored with an average of 0.3 goals per match. Bringing in someone with Baggott’s aerial ability may provide them with the opportunity to improve offensively as well as defensively.