Starting the Championship campaign at breakneck pace, there was always going to be a time in the season when Ipswich Town would suffer a slump in form.
Playing out of your skin week in week out isn't sustainable, with Kieran McKenna's crop of talented players winless now in their last five second-tier matches after remarkably picking up seven victories from their first eight contests in the division.
With Southampton breathing down their necks in third spot now, only three points off McKenna's men currently, the well-backed Tractor Boys have already recruited Jeremy Sarmiento and Lewis Travis to Portman Road on loan in an effort to bolster the squad without breaking the bank.
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More incomings could well be in through the door at Ipswich in a chaotic few weeks to come, with these potential faces being lined up for a move to the Championship automatic promotion candidates to seriously strengthen the side…
1 Kieffer Moore
It's no secret at this point that Kieffer Moore reportedly has a number of Championship admirers this January, with Ipswich Town wanting to win his services amidst frenzied interest and make a statement in the process.
Ipswich do need more numbers arguably up top owing to star-man George Hirst requiring surgery for a hamstring injury picked up recently, leaving reserve figures Freddie Ladapo and Kayden Jackson as the only other real fit strikers.
Moore would suit Ipswich's style of play also. The fast-paced forays forward kickstarted by the likes of Leif Davis could be finished off by the current AFC Bournemouth striker popping up with an effort or sticking a leg out to hit the back of the net.
Bagging 47 goals in the Championship over a varied career to date, it should be a no-brainer move by Ipswich to go all in for the 31-year-old.
Scoring in the FA Cup this weekend just gone for the Cherries too, the ex-Cardiff City hero is subject to interest from the Bluebirds amongst many other second-tier suitors. Could Ipswich beat them all and win the coveted signature of the in-demand Welshman?
2 Kwame Poku
This tricky Peterborough United winger could add even more firepower to Ipswich going forward with pivotal months to come in the promotion race, Kwame Poku dazzling defenders for fun in League One.
The Ghanaian attacker has nine goals and nine assists in all competitions for Darren Ferguson's Posh this season, ready for a step-up arguably to strut this stuff with McKenna's gung-ho side.
It would be hard to prize Poku away from Cambridgeshire – Peterborough gunning for promotion in the division below with the 22-year-old key to those aims – but the slick forward would slot straight into the Ipswich team effortlessly if and when selected.
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Going toe-to-toe with Ipswich stalwart Wes Burns on his potential arrival, Poku could comfortably get more game time ahead of the likes of Marcus Harness and Sone Aluko showing signs of their age at Portman Road to catch teams off-guard in big games.
3 Charlie Hughes
Ipswich could further delve into the League One market by signing up-and-coming Wigan Athletic centre-back Charlie Hughes this month, the Tractor Boys needing more numbers at the back with first-teamer Cameron Burgess heading out to the Asia Cup with Australia imminently.
Starring for Shaun Maloney's Latics at only 20 years of age, with highly regarded Sam Tickle also in goal behind him, Hughes has reportedly been noted as being on the Ipswich radar recently and that interest could heat up.
The Latics number six oozed confidence in a recent 2-0 win at the DW Stadium over Carlisle United for Wigan, accurate with six long balls with one key pass managed as a defender more than comfortable playing it out from the back.
Likewise, he's not afraid to be dogged – winning 100% of his aerial duels when Wigan lost narrowly to Paul Warne's Derby County last month on their own patch.
He has even played second-tier football for the Latics so the step up might well not be so daunting, performing admirably up against it during Wigan's relegation season last campaign.
It could well be a change of scenery that comes too soon for the 20-year-old, but under McKenna's guidance, Hughes could flourish even more and go on leaps and bounds away from home comforts in Lancashire.
