Ipswich Town are preparing for another crack at the Premier League.
Kieran McKenna stepped down after guiding the Tractor Boys to automatic promotion, leaving Gary O’Neil to build a squad capable of surviving without the manager who transformed the club.
Ipswich have backed his arrival with serious business.
Issa Diop has strengthened the defence, Abdul Fatawu and Daizen Maeda have added pace, while Emersonn offers a new threat through the middle.
Florentino Luis has also arrived from Burnley to improve the midfield, but that has not removed the need for another experienced operator.
Azor Matusiwa underwent surgery on a muscle injury after promotion, while Jack Taylor required a knee cartilage procedure. Both are working through their recoveries, leaving O’Neil needing reliable cover ahead of a demanding campaign.
Fulham’s Sasa Lukic fits the bill.
The 29-year-old has made 92 Premier League appearances since joining Fulham from Torino in January 2023, featured 26 times in the competition last season, starting 20 matches and managing one goal and two assists.
Those numbers don’t fully explain his value.
|
Sasa Lukic’s career league stats |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Club |
League |
Appearances |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2013/14 |
Teleoptik |
Serbian First League |
23 |
3 |
N/A |
|
2014/15 |
Teleoptik |
Serbian League Belgrade |
16 |
6 |
N/A |
|
2014/15 |
Partizan |
Serbian SuperLiga |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
2015/16 |
Partizan |
Serbian SuperLiga |
25 |
2 |
0 |
|
2016/17 |
Torino |
Serie A |
14 |
0 |
0 |
|
2017/18 |
Levante |
La Liga |
16 |
0 |
1 |
|
2018/19 |
Torino |
Serie A |
24 |
2 |
0 |
|
2019/20 |
Torino |
Serie A |
30 |
1 |
1 |
|
2020/21 |
Torino |
Serie A |
32 |
3 |
0 |
|
2021/22 |
Torino |
Serie A |
35 |
5 |
4 |
|
2022/23 |
Torino |
Serie A |
16 |
2 |
0 |
|
2022/23 |
Fulham |
Premier League |
12 |
0 |
0 |
|
2023/24 |
Fulham |
Premier League |
24 |
1 |
0 |
|
2024/25 |
Fulham |
Premier League |
30 |
0 |
2 |
|
2025/26 |
Fulham |
Premier League |
26 |
1 |
2 |
|
Career total |
325 |
26 |
10 recorded |
||
Lukic is a disciplined central midfielder who can operate as a holding midfielder or slightly further forward, bringing flexibility to a squad still adjusting to O’Neil’s methods.
He developed at Partizan Belgrade and their affiliate Teleoptik before moving to Torino in 2016. He made 151 Serie A appearances for the Italian club, scoring 13 goals, and also spent a season on loan with Levante in La Liga.
Newly promoted sides can become stretched, and Lukic has spent years playing against elite opposition and understands how to slow the game, protect the defence and retain the ball under pressure.
Fulham’s summer changes have now opened the door.
Marco Silva left for Benfica and was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa, who has started reshaping the squad around his own ideas. Lukic’s has under 12 months left on his deal, with Fulham holding an option for another year, but a move could suit every party if he is no longer guaranteed a central role.
Sasa Lukic ‘set to join’ Ipswich with agreement close and medical planned
According to talkSPORT journalist Ben Jacobs, Lukic is now ‘set to join’ Ipswich.
Jacobs reports that the two clubs are close to completing an agreement and, provided the remaining details go smoothly, the Serbia international will undergo a medical on Friday.
For Ipswich, this would be another signing built around Premier League readiness. Lukic knows the division, won’t need long to settle in and can compete with Florentino, Matusiwa and Taylor once everyone is available.
He may not be the most glamorous arrival of Ipswich’s summer, but for a side expecting long spells without the ball, his positioning, composure and experience could prove just as valuable as the attacking names already through the door.
