ED SHEERAN was clear: Ipswich will NOT be relegated this season.
The pop superstar also revealed the brilliant reason why he had to leave at half-time before Ipswich hosted Liverpool in the Premier League.
Peter Crouch asked Sheeran plenty of questions before kick-off at the newly-promoted Portman Road.
Towards the end of their chat the former Liverpool striker began probing: “If Ipswich stay up do we…”
Before Sheeran quickly cut him off: “They are staying up!”
Crouch then asked: “Is there a song if they do remain in the Prem?”
Sheeran then explained: “It’s the super Kieran McKenna tune. He’s amazing. I’m glad we’ve kept him because obviously there were rumours of him going.
“When I took the players out for the promotion party, they kept saying ‘We would run through a brick wall for him’.”
Sheeran then hilariously revealed that he can only watch the first-half on Saturday as he must head for the airport.
The Suffolk singer said: “I have to leave here at half-time as I’m playing in Serbia tonight. We almost couldn’t come to the game, but I was like ‘I have to come’.”
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Ed had hoped for a 1-0 scrappy win for Ipswich, who he believed are more than ready for the top-flight.
But Liverpool went onto secure a routine 2-0 victory, after Diogo Jota and Mo Salah scored within minutes of each other in the second half.
Ipswich had put up a good fight until then, with the home side enjoying more of the chances of the first-half.
Sheeran had said: “We’re happy to play Liverpool first. It’s amazing to see the shirts in the town. I think the momentum that Ipswich have behind them give us a good chance and they’ve had nine weeks off.
“A lot of the Liverpool players have played at the Euros and are probably pretty knackered still.
“If we win today we might get humbled next week at Manchester City, but you never know.”
Sheeran, who is a lifelong fan of the Tractor Boys, bought a 1.4 per cent stake in the newly promoted side this summer.
The Thinking Out Loud singer has been the club’s main shirt sponsor for the past three seasons, but said this season might be his last due to the expenses of sponsoring a Prem side.
Meanwhile, Leicester and Southampton fans should look away now as Sheeran’s previous prediction came true last year.
In September 2023, he told Ipswich Star: “I reckon automatic promotion and Premier League football next year.”
Crouch then brought up his visit to England’s Euros camp in Germany and asked: “Which gigs are better to play – England players or Ipswich players?”
Sheeran joked: “Footballers love beer. During the last Euros in 2020, the players had a proper drink.”
Changes to the Premier League for 2024/25
NOTHING stays the same forever.
And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.
Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.
Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.
There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides– but not straight away.
Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.