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Why Ed Sheeran supports Ipswich as major transfer intervention revealed ahead of Man United clash
Ipswich chairman and CEO Mark Ashton has revealed how global superstar Ed Sheeran played a role in the club’s summer transfer activity as the newly-promoted side gear up for a game against Manchester United on Sunday.
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter, a lifelong fan of the Tractor Boys, has been a shirt sponsor for both the men’s and women’s teams since 2021 and acquired a minority stake in the club in August. However, Sheeran has also found a new role at Ipswich, with Ashton revealing he assisted with the recruitment of one player after joining a Zoom call with the potential signing.
"A local man, global superstar, sponsor of the football club, now a shareholder and now officially part of our recruitment team," Ashton said of Sheeran at a Soccerex event as broadcast by Sky Sports News. "In the summer we were trying to persuade one particular player to join the football club and realised very quickly that he was an Ed Sheeran fan.
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"Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift, hopefully that was a key part of getting the player across the line. We’ve gone from the third tier of English football to the Premier League, but we haven’t forgotten our roots and Ed’s a key part of that, the work that we do in our local communities is central to us."
When asked if the player in question was performing well for Ipswich, Ashton replied: "Certainly scoring a few goals!"
Sheeran was spotted among the spectators as the Tractor Boys clinched their inaugural Premier League victory of the season against Tottenham in their previous match, and they are now set to take on United.
