Ipswich Town are now on the hunt for a new striker to bolster their ranks this winter as Kieran McKenna looks to keep them in the Premier League, and they have made contact with a potential target.
Ipswich reliant on Delap
Liam Delap has been one of the biggest success stories at Portman Road since his arrival over the summer. The former Manchester City youth product arrived in a deal worth £15m and has proved vital in Ipswich’s early season progress, scoring six goals and grabbing an assist in 16 outings.
He has scored twice as many goals as anyone else in the Tractor Boys side (ahead of Sammie Szmodics on 3), while only Leif Davis and Jack Clarke have provided more assists than the 21-year-old forward.
Liam Delap
6
Sammie Szmodics
3
Omari Hutchinson
1
Sam Morsy
1
Conor Chaplin
1
Jack Taylor
1
George Hirst
1
Leif Davis
1
But Delap cannot be Ipswich’s sole goalscorer, and they are already set for a game without him after he picked up a fifth yellow card, which will see him suspended for their clash with Newcastle United.
Meanwhile, his form has not gone unnoticed. There have been suggestions that the likes of Chelsea are taking an interest in the talented forward. Worse still, Manchester City hold a buy back clause for the 21-year-old, meaning that Pep Guardiola’s side could re-sign him for a potential bargain fee in the future.
With all of that in mind, it is little surprise that Ipswich are now looking at other options to upgrade on Ali Al-Hamadi at Portman Road, and they could revisit an old target.
Ipswich make contact to sign Championship striker
Now, reports in Italy claim that Ipswich Town have made contact with Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath over a potential move to East Anglia in the January transfer window. McKenna’s side tried to sign the forward last summer, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to land the 25-year-old.
Boro’s no.9 has scored eight goals in 21 Championship appearances in the time since, helping Michael Carrick’s side into a playoff place as things stand.
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However, his agent admitted last week that he expected a move to happen in January despite the striker still having two and a half years left to run on his £10,000 a week deal at the Riverside.
“He’s back to scoring. Eight goals in the first part of the championship and we expect something to happen in January. He’s a striker and strikers are always the subject of attention in the January market”, he explained.
And Ipswich are one of two Premier League sides to have “asked for information” on the striker, who was dubbed “clinical” earlier in the year for a particularly accurate finish.
A move for Latte Lath would be a sensible one for Ipswich, with the striker having a strong goalscoring record and keen to impress in the Premier League. Not only would it add more options for McKenna this season, but it would also futureproof the Portman Road side should any club come to poach Delap in the years to come.