When Ipswich were last in the Premier League two seasons ago, it was miserable.
Relegated in 19th after accruing 22 points, they won only one league game at Portman Road all season, a 2-0 victory against Chelsea in December.
It is early days, but they already have a home win in their pocket, a significant step towards doing better than last time.
Ipswich’s net spend is the third-highest in the Premier League this summer, above Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
There are still projects this window, such as 22-year-old Brazilian striker Emersonn, but they have added pedigree with Daizen Maeda and Abdul Fatawu, two dynamic wingers who featured for Japan and Ghana at the World Cup.
It would be hard to make the case that O’Neil is an outright upgrade on Kieran McKenna, but O’Neil can at least boast reasonably successful spells with Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
And players like Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis and Jack Clarke have improved since their last spell in the top flight too.
