Ipswich Town have enquired about an approach to Fulham for Tom Cairney according to Sky Sports, and while it is not the most exciting link doing the rounds, it feels grounded in reality.
Ipswich are in a good place, but that does not mean the squad is finished or complete, especially in midfield, when they didn’t get cover for Azor Matusiwa
Cairney is approaching his late 30s now. That matters.
Also, it does not mean he has nothing left to offer, particularly on a side that is still learning to manage long stretches of a season.
Cairney’s career has taken him through most levels of the English game. Born in Nottingham.
He was part of the Leeds academy before moving to Hull City in 2007. It was at Hull where he finally broke into senior football and started playing regularly.
In 2013, he joined Blackburn Rovers, first on loan.
That move became permanent, and it was there that he began to stand out as a midfielder who understood the game rather than tried to overpower it.
Fulham signed him in 2015, and he has stayed there ever since, becoming captain and a familiar figure around the club.
At the international level, Cairney chose Scotland, picking up two full caps after previously representing the country at the Under-19 and Under-21 levels.
The timing of Ipswich’s interest is not a coincidence. Cairney only has six months left on his Fulham deal, and that always shifts the conversation.
Fulham may want to keep him, but letting a captain leave for free is rarely ideal. Ipswich, on the other hand, can look at this as a short-term move rather than a commitment for years to come. That matters.
Azor Matusiwa has been one of Ipswich’s most important midfielders. He covers ground, breaks things up, and does a lot of the work that does not always get noticed.
The problem is that those roles catch up with players. Cairney would not replace Matusiwa directly, but he would allow Ipswich to rotate without panic.
He keeps the ball, talks constantly, and understands positioning. That can be just as useful in certain matches.
Ipswich Town do not have loads of players who have been through promotion races and Premier League seasons. Cairney has.
He has played in the Championship and the Premier League, and he knows what pressure feels like late in a season.
That experience is hard to quantify, but it often shows when games tighten up.
One thing Ipswich are still building is leadership; they still lost a massive amount of it with Morsy, but have gained some in Ashley Young.
The squad is well organised and works hard, but it is not full of senior figures who have captained clubs at the top level.
Cairney would bring that straight away. As Fulham captain, he sets standards and keeps things calm. Even if he is not starting every week, that presence still counts.
This would not be a glamorous signing. But at 34, Scottish midfielder Tom Cairney, with six months left on his Fulham deal, feels like a practical option.
Cover for Matusiwa, experience across the leagues, and leadership, Ipswich Town do not have much of yet. Sometimes, that is enough.
