Ipswich let a “great” player leave for £0, now he’s outscoring Szmodics.
Despite the fact that Ipswich Town’s chances of finishing in the Premier League this season are very modest, under manager Kiel McKenna’s outstanding tenure to date, the Tractor Boys have always prospered when the odds are against them.
Aside from their humiliating 4-1 road loss to West Ham United last time out, Ipswich hasn’t seemed wholly out of place at the top table. They overcame great odds to win back-to-back promotions to the top division.
The arduous campaign that lies ahead will put his team’s determination to the test, and it will be made even more difficult if McKenna is unable to persuade more of his attackers to tune in, taking attention away from Liam Delap’s valiant efforts up top.
Szmodics and Chaplin’s form this season
While Sammie Szmodics has battled to hold down a starting position since his significant move from Blackburn Rovers, Delap has been an immediate rip-roaring success in Suffolk, with the £20 million summer recruit smashing home an incredible four strikes from seven games for his new relegation-threatened team.
The current Championship golden boot winner has only played 44 minutes a game on average in the Premier League. His performance against Southampton last month was particularly concerning as the Republic of Ireland international was only able to complete seven accurate passes and muster one shot on goal at the unsteady goal of Aaron Ramsdale.
Of course, back in August, the former Peterborough United player sent the Tractor Boys away supporters into raptures with a goal away at Manchester City, but since then, his play has been incredibly inconsistent and he has not scored any more goals.
In McKenna’s current ranks, Conor Chaplin has also had a similar experience. Despite playing a key role in Ipswich’s thrilling campaign that resulted in automatic promotion, Chaplin has only been able to break into the first squad once this season in the top flight.
Like Szmodics, the former Barnsley player only has one goal to his name, but it came in a less spectacular setting when Chaplin scored in an EFL Cup match against League Two team AFC Wimbledon.
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