Ipswich Town were given a humbling reminder of the task that remains in front of them this Premier League season at the weekend, with survival the main aim for the Tractor Boys when the campaign is over and done with.
Kieran McKenna’s men can’t afford to pick up many more defeats like the 4-1 loss they suffered at the hands of West Ham United last match if they are to keep their heads above water, as Jarrod Bowen and Co cruised to a straightforward victory to give the Suffolk outfit an almighty wake-up call.
The despondent Ipswich boss will just be glad he has Liam Delap at his disposal up top, who scored another top-flight goal against the Hammers for his new employers, after leaving Manchester City behind this summer.
Liam Delap’s form this season
Delap is already on four goals from seven Premier League appearances for his new employers, with his recent brace against Aston Villa, in particular, standing out, as the electric 21-year-old terrorised Unai Emery’s men at the back just before their famous 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
There would have been a worry that Delap wouldn’t instantly hit the ground running when first making the switch, specifically when you glance at his previous mixed form in the EFL away from Pep Guardiola’s men on loan.
However, the 21-year-old looks to be every bit the prolific striker he was at youth level in Manchester in the senior game in Suffolk.
| Delap’s goal record across his career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Club played for | Games | Goals |
| Ipswich | 8 | 4 |
| Hull City | 32 | 8 |
| Stoke City | 23 | 3 |
| Preston North End | 15 | 1 |
| Man City | 6 | 1 |
| Man City U21s | 36 | 35 |
| Man City U18s | 17 | 11 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | ||
He would only need 20 touches of the ball last time at the London Stadium to fire home a strike, and that killer instinct could prove to be crucial for McKenna’s men, as they strive to pick up some huge results that could see them stay up in the Premier League.
That is a massive ask, with Ipswich well aware of how huge the gulf in quality between the Championship and the top flight is, but Delap will want to play a leading role in his side’s survival story if he can.
In an alternate reality, however, McKenna could have called upon a different face altogether to lead the line against Julen Lopetegui’s hosts, who Ipswich were incessantly linked with all transfer window.
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.
Who Ipswich nearly signed over Delap
Whilst the Ipswich number 19 has taken to his new surroundings in Suffolk like a duck to water, a certain Armando Broja hasn’t graced the pitch whatsoever for the Toffees to date, owing to an injury problem keeping him sidelined.
Although Ipswich’s interest in this player would go on right up until transfer deadline day, according to reports, Broja was a target regularly linked with a switch to Portman Road before this nail-biting occasion, even before Delap made his move official in July.
All the way back in May of this year, it was reported that that the Tractor Boys were keen on the Albanian’s services, but nothing would come of these rumours, despite talk in the window suggesting that a £30m deal was even done at one point.
This would have been a risky transfer to get over the line, not just when taking into account the excessive fee involved, but also when you consider Broja’s previous ineffectiveness in front of goal in the top flight, with just eight strikes in the division managed from 66 games.
Broja was hyped up by Mauricio Pochettino as a talent with “amazing potential” when he nurtured the 23-year-old at Stamford Bridge, but the Tractor Boys will be relieved they didn’t win his signature in the end, as Everton eventually snapped him up.
Ipswich, instead, won ex-Man City starlet Delap for £20m, which is looking to be an excellent bit of business already, based on his ever-growing goal tally for his relegation-threatened side in the league.
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