Ipswich Town & Sheffield Wednesday must envy when Charlton Athletic struck Crystal Palace transfer gold.

Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, and Charlton Athletic have all had different ups and downs in recent years.

Kieran McKenna led the Tractor Boys to consecutive promotions from League One to the Premier League.

However, Ipswich only stayed in the top division for one season before being relegated to the Championship alongside Southampton and Leicester City in 2025.

Meanwhile, Charlton ended their five-season absence from the second division by defeating Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final.

Sheffield Wednesday won their own third-tier play-offs in 2023 and then earned Championship survival under Danny Rohl’s leadership.

However, by the summer of 2025, the Owls were in financial trouble due to former owner Dejphon Chansiri, prompting Rohl to leave Hillsborough along with other key players.

Wednesday were demoted to the League One during their period in administration, while South Yorkshire, Ipswich, and Charlton have all had varied degrees of success in the transfer market throughout the years.

Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town were left envious of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s Charlton Athletic exploits

One of the Addicks’ best transfer bargains in recent years was signing Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on loan from fellow South London club Crystal Palace in the summer of 2022.

When the Valley outfit signed the winger, Charlton manager Ben Garner told the club’s website, “Jes is an exciting addition to our squad.” He is a talented player who contributes to our team’s inventiveness and attacking danger.

“We are very much looking forward to working with him, and hopefully he can have a big impact this season.”

The Addicks fired Garner in December 2022, when they were 17th in League One, but the previous manager’s choice to sign Rak-Sakyi was a wise one.

He dominated the third division, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in 43 league matches to help the South London club finish 10th.

Rak-Sakyi also appeared in four EFL Cup matches, assisting once, as Charlton advanced to the quarter-finals before losing to Manchester United.

The winger was elected Addicks supporters’ player of the season for the 2022/23 season due to his efforts in both the cup and the league.

Meanwhile, the East Anglian Daily Times reported that Ipswich and Wednesday were both interested in signing Rak-Sakyi on loan ahead of the January transfer window in 2023.

The article also stated that Palace had a recall provision, implying that the winger might have returned to Selhurst Park before being deployed elsewhere.

Rak-Sakyi, on the other hand, remained at The Valley, leaving former League One rivals Ipswich and Wednesday envious of his performances in South London.

Both the Tractor Boys and the Owls were promoted from the third division that season, but McKenna’s team may believe they could have beaten Plymouth Argyle to the crown if they had signed the ace, who was then on loan at Charlton.

Meanwhile, the South Yorkshire club may have believed that signing Rak-Sakyi would have provided them with enough to beat Ipswich to an automatic promotion berth.

Sheffield United saw a glimpse of what Charlton Athletic got from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

The winger’s performances for Charlton in League One hinted that he was capable of adjusting to the Championship level.

As a result, Sheffield United signed him on loan in the summer of 2024, after finishing last in the Premier League, with Blades manager Chris Wilder telling the club’s website: “He’s still young, and has a lot to learn, but he has real talent, and he’s someone who can get the fans off their seats.”

“Again, like some of the other players we’ve taken this summer, he’s someone we’ll enjoy working with.”Rak-Sakyi did, as Wilder predicted, create exciting moments in Sheffield United colours, such as his brace in a 2-0 victory over Luton Town on his 22nd birthday in October 2024.

The winger’s seven goals and two assists in 35 Championship appearances helped the Blades reach the play-off final, where they were defeated by Sunderland, although he was not as successful at Bramall Lane as he was at Charlton.

However, it was League One rivals Ipswich and Wednesday who were left most envious of Rak-Sakyi’s Addicks performance.

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