We are now 12 games into the Premier League season, and while Ipswich Town are down in 18th place, there are clear reasons to be optimistic.
For example, the club picked up their first win earlier this month in a stunning 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur and then came close to getting another against Manchester United over the weekend.
Moreover, there are several genuinely talented players in the squad, and with Kieran McKenna in the hot seat, there’s no reason they couldn’t lead the club to safety.
In fact, a few players could soon have important roles with their respective national teams, including one who could help solve a problem for the new England boss, Thomas Tuchel, and it’s not Liam Delap.
Liam Delap's recent form
So, before we get to the player in question, it’s worth examining Delap’s form this season, as while he may not solve a problem for England, he could end up as a Three Lions regular in the future.
We say this because, so far this season, the former Manchester City ace, who cost the Tractor Boys around £20m in the summer, has been utterly brilliant up top.
For example, while it took him a few games to get up and running, the 21-year-old has now found the back of the net on six occasions in 12 league appearances for McKenna’s side and provided one assist for good measure.
This means the Winchenster-born poacher is level on league goals with England international Ollie Watkins at the moment, and if the Villa ace is a regular for the national team, there’s no reason the Blues’ gem couldn’t follow suit.
However, with Harry Kane the team captain and starting number nine at present, and the likes of the Villa ace and others ready to step in for him, the emergence of Delap this season does not solve a problem for England.
In contrast, another of Ipswich’s inform stars could solve one of the Three Lions’ most significant issues.
The Ipswich star who could become an England regular
So, given the abundance of talent English football has produced over the last few years, it would be hard to argue that there are too many glaring weaknesses in the national team, save for one position: left-back.
Yes, while the right-back position is completely stacked, and the depth of talent at centre-back continues to grow, the same couldn’t necessarily be said of the left-back position, especially not at the Euros, when Kieran Trippier played most of the games before a still clearly unfit Luke Shaw returned.
In fact, it was seen as such an issue prior to the Euros this summer that journalists like the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath began referring to it as England’s ‘new Achilles heel.’
However, the solution to this problem area could be a player Ipswich signed from Leeds United in 2022 for a fee of around £1m: Leif Davis.
The Newcastle-born full-back has been utterly indispensable during the club’s recent rise up the football pyramid, producing 17 goals and assists in 43 League One appearances in 22/23 and then a sensational 23 in 43 Championship games last year, which was unsurprisingly enough to see him with the club’s Player’s Player of the Year Award.
Appearances
43
43
12
Goals
3
2
1
Assists
14
21
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.39
0.53
0.25
This season has obviously been more challenging for the incredible full-back, but even still, the 24-year-old “animal”, as former manager Scott Parker dubbed him, has managed to score once and provide two assists in 12 Premier League games.
There is certainly an argument to be made that other players might be more defensively sound than the former Leeds gem, but should Tuchel want to play on the front foot when he’s in charge and make the most out of his incredible forward players, going with the “remarkable” full-back, as dubbed by football pundit Jobi McAnuff, seems like the obvious choice.
Moreover, should the German favour a back-three formation like he has in the past, then we can’t think of very many English left-backs better suited to a wing-back role.
Ultimately, while Davis might not be a big name just yet, his sensational form over the last few seasons means he undoubtedly will be, and once given the chance, will also solve England’s left-back problem.
Dream Delap rival: Ipswich lodge enquiry over £15m "bulldozing forward"
The exceptional forward would make Ipswich’s squad far stronger.
ByJack Salveson HolmesNov 22, 2024