This anecdote about Ed Sheeran is one of those surreal stories that can only be explained through soccer. The British singer is a global superstar and is known for his love of Ipswich Town. A club that is playing in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, of which he is also a shareholder and now also seems to be sporting director.

This was revealed by Mark Ashton, the English club's director and CEO, at a Soccerex event organised by Sky Sports. The executive explained that this summer, in preparation for the first season in the elite of English football after two decades, the club was "persuading" a footballer to join the team and when they knew he was a fan of the singer did not hesitate to call him. "Ed joined a Zoom call with himjust before going on stage with Taylor Swift. He was a key part in getting the player to make up his mind," said the businessman.

Sheeran "key" to Ipswich's evolution

A local man, global superstar, football club sponsor, shareholder and now officially part of our recruitment team," he said. "We have gone from the third tier of English football to the Premier League, but we have not forgotten our roots and Ed is a key part of that."

It is not known exactly which operation the singer helped to close, but the British newspaper 'The Sun' speculates with two options: Liam Delap, who cost 20 million pounds, or Sammie Szmodics. The British media outlet bases this on a response from Mark Ashton in which he said that this signing "is scoring some goals". Delap is the club's top scorer this season with six goals but his signing was completed before Sheeran's appearance on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. In addition, the striker does not follow him on Instagram.

However, Sammie Szmodics, the club's second top scorer, does follow Sheeran on Meta's social network. In addition, his signing was officially completed on August 16, a day before the singer surprised Taylor Swift fans by appearing at the American's concert at Wembley Stadium. Another clue that suggests that the Irishman may be the player who helped bring the musician on board is that after the victory against Tottenham, both took a photo at the stadium.