When Liam Delap is misfiring and off his game, Ipswich Town often look a far worse side because of it.
The ex-Manchester City attacker has scored a large chunk of the Tractor Boys’ Premier League goals this unfolding campaign, with ten of the 26 top-flight strikes the Suffolk side have tallied up coming from the reliable marksman.
But, against Manchester United last time out, the likes of Jaden Philogene-Bidace stepped up to the mark, with Kieran McKenna needing more from the rest of his group in case Delap falls victim to more off-days during their bid to stay up.
How Ipswich attackers can help Delap
The best place to start is with Philogene, who finally got his account up and running for his new side away at Old Trafford after bagging a brace in the action-packed 3-2 loss.
Both strikes were somewhat fortuitous, as lax United defending from Dorgu allowed him to bag his side’s opener after four minutes, whilst his second was a cross that somehow trickled in, but the former Aston Villa man wouldn’t care one bit as he announced himself to his new set of supporters.
Away from Philogene, McKenna will also hope Sammie Szmodics can get back to the heights he was reaching before a recent injury setback, having fired home four Premier League strikes when fit.
Moreover, the Ipswich boss will also be wanting more from Omari Hutchinson who has three strikes to shout about himself, who – much like Delap – suffered from a quiet showing at the Theatre of Dreams with zero shots registered alongside zero successful dribbles.
But, if the Tractor Boys could turn back time, they would love to have this former loanee back on their books who has slowly but surely become a more exciting talent than Delap since exiting Portman Road.
Ipswich flop is now a £26m-rated loan star
Ipswich have had their fair share of notable loanees over recent years, with Louie Barry once even calling Suffolk his home before exploding into life at Stockport County.
Troy Parrott also made Ipswich his temporary home back in 2021 but failed to spark into life in his fresh surroundings, having only scored a meagre two strikes from 18 outings donning a Tractor Boys strip, before returning to then-parent employers Tottenham Hotspur.
He wouldn’t be too visibly bruised from this low-scoring stint, however, when leaving Spurs to head over to the Netherlands in 2023, with the initial switch only on a loan basis to Excelsior Rotterdam.
But, off the back of firing home a stunning 17 strikes from 32 games for his loan side, AZ Alkmaar would buy Parrott’s services outright for a fee around the £6.7m mark a year later, with the Eredivisie sharpshooter at the peak of his game still leading the line for Maarten Martens’ men.
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Parrott’s league numbers (24/25) vs Delap’s |
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|---|---|---|
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Stat – per 90 mins* |
||
|
Games played |
23 |
26 |
|
Goals scored |
12 |
10 |
|
Expected goals (xG) |
12.58 xG |
7.95 xG |
|
Assists |
1 |
2 |
|
Shots* |
2.4 |
2.0 |
|
Big chances missed |
12 |
10 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
3 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
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Indeed, even when looking at his league numbers in isolation, the “rejuvenated” attacker – as he has been labelled by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – trumps Delap’s Premier League numbers by two, with a further five strikes coming his way in other competitions.
It’s a far cry from the days where Parrott looked goal-shy in Suffolk, with Alkmaar just glad that they gambled on the Dublin-born striker – who is now valued at as high as £26m, according to CIES Football Observatory – to come good at the expense of other teams.
Back in England, Delap will just pray he gets back amongst the goals soon after drawing blanks at United, with Parrott turning into an arguably bigger talent than his counterpart on foreign shores.
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