Ipswich Town were very busy during this summer transfer window, with Kieran McKenna and Co wanting to bring in some top talents to ensure the step-up in quality to the Premier League didn’t swallow the Suffolk underdogs whole.
In total, the Tractor Boys added 11 new players to the group, with some settling into life better than others so far as Ipswich face a long and tough battle against the top-flight drop-zone currently.
Liam Delap definitely fits the bill of the second bracket more than the first, with the ex-Manchester City wonderkid loving life at Portman Road at the moment, even as he now permanently finds himself away from the luxuries of Pep Guardiola’s men.
Delap's start to the season
Delap has been a constant source of positivity for Ipswich this campaign so far even when results have gone against them, with the 21-year-old already onto four top-flight goals from eight appearances.
Even in games that have seen the Tractor Boys get turned over as they grow more used to the challenges of the elite league – seen in their recent 4-1 loss away at West Ham United – Delap still manages to exit those bruising experiences with his head held high, having bagged his side’s early equaliser on the day before everything suddenly went pear-shaped.
No other new recruit in attack has managed to seamlessly fire in the same sparkling way, with Sammie Szmodics going quiet ever since bagging a shock strike against Manchester City right at the start of the campaign, alongside former Sunderland star Jack Clarke still being unable to break his goalscoring duck in the Premier League for his new employers.
Whilst patience will be exercised with both of those permanent faces, McKenna will be beginning to become more and more restless over loanee Kalvin Phillips, who is struggling once more to resurrect his playing days with another new club.
Phillips' start at Ipswich
Before putting pen to paper on a temporary switch to Suffolk, Phillips’ last loan stint with West Ham was nothing short of a car crash for the Manchester City dud.
The ex-England international would only make ten appearances in total for the Hammers, with former West Ham striker Dean Ashton even labelling his time at the London Stadium as “shocking.”
His poorest shift for the Tractor Boys to date coincidentally occurred at this familiar stomping ground, with Phillips way off the pace throughout against the Hammers, with an early error on the ball allowing Michail Antonio to score within the first minute to begin the 4-1 rout.
1. Kalvin Phillips
£150k-per-week
2. Axel Tuanzebe
£40k-per-week
3. Jens Cajuste
£35k-per-week
4. Sam Morsy
£30k-per-week
5. Ben Johnson
£30k-per-week
Looking at the table above, Phillips’ eye-wateringly high wage will also be concerning for the Tractor Boys currently, with Ipswich throwing money away no matter what portion they are actually coughing up of his high £150k-per-week salary at Man City.
Amazingly, according to Capology, Delap earns a modest £20k-per-week pay packet when contrasted next to the 28-year-old’s steep wage, despite being far more in McKenna’s good books at the moment than Phillips.
Phillips does have time on his side to turn around another underwhelming chapter in his ongoing story, but if he continues to put in lacklustre displays for Ipswich like the ones recently served up, this move will no doubt go down as an expensive mistake the Tractor Boys rue signing off on.
Whereas, Delap’s move already looks to be a major success, with other recruits in through the door this summer wanting to shine in a similar manner moving forward to try and help their new employers fend off relegation, away from following in the footsteps of the ex-Leeds United midfielder.
Ipswich flop who played 6 games on loan is now outscoring Liam Delap
Ipswich Town never saw this star reach his best at Portman Road.
ByKelan SarsonOct 21, 2024