Ipswich could make dream signing for Delap in move for “Ronaldo-esque” star.

Despite the fact that it was just their 22nd match of the season, Ipswich Town received a warm welcome to the Premier League when they welcomed champions Manchester City at Portman Road. Pep Guardiola’s squad ran wild in Suffolk, defeating Kieran McKenna’s side 6-0, even removing Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden for the final 30 minutes. It was the first time Ipswich had conceded five or more goals in a league game at Portman Road since 2021 against Bolton, and the first time they had conceded six at home since losing to Leicester in 2011.

The Tractor Boys remain in the Premier League’s bottom three, trailing Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal differential, but they still have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation. Adding extra quality to the squad may improve their chances of rising above Wolves and avoiding relegation to the Championship. Jaden Philogene and Ben Godfrey are the first two signings of the January transfer window. McKenna should be looking to expand his attacking options because the club needs to do more to create opportunities for Liam Delap at the top of the pitch.

Liam Delap’s form this season

The England U21 international was brought in from Manchester City in the summer and has been the go-to man for goals for Ipswich in the Premier League so far this season.

He has scored a remarkable 40% of the club’s goals in the division, including eight of the team’s 20 goals, demonstrating how essential the forward has been to their quest to climb out of the bottom three. Without his quality in the final third, Ipswich may have fallen further behind Wolves and the rest of the league, and they must find a way to use him in more matches in the second half of the season.

As shown in the table above, Delap has been quite clinical in front of goal, outperforming his xG by 1.64, although his colleagues have not produced a large number of chances for him, with only 6.36 xG from 21 games. The 21-year-old marksman has frequently had to create opportunities for himself through his explosive running and outstanding dribbling, as shown in the video below. Ipswich need to create more as a team to guarantee that they are supplying the forward with the ammo he requires to win games for the Tractor Boys and lift them out of the bottom three in coming weeks.

The January transfer window is still open for business and McKenna could make a dream signing for Delap by swooping for one of the club’s reported transfer targets, Julio Enciso.

Ipswich’s interest in Julio Enciso

TWTD reported earlier this month that Ipswich are interested in the Brighton & Hove Albion winger, as the club attempts to strengthen its roster before the transfer market closes. They relied on a Nacion Media story that the Tractor Boys and Leicester City are both interested in loaning out the forward, and confirmed that he is a target for the Suffolk club. The Foxes, on the other hand, would have to cancel Facundo Buonanotte’s loan or sign the attacker permanently because Premier League rules prohibit a club from having two players on loan from the same top-flight squad.

TWTD went on to say that Enciso is a player the Tractor Boys have been monitoring for quite some time, having kept an eye on the Paraguay international during multiple transfer windows. However, the source indicated that Ipswich have yet to make an official enquiry about a deal to secure his services, indicating that a transfer is not imminent at this time. McKenna, on the other hand, should press the club to finalise a deal for the dynamic attacker, as he may be a dream signing for Delap in the second part of the 2024/25 season.

Why Julio Enciso could be a dream for Liam Delap

Ipswich will be unable to sign experienced, in-form Premier League players while fighting relegation this season, forcing them to take risks like Philogene and Godfrey. Enciso would undoubtedly be a gamble given his lack of playing time at Brighton, but his form in limited minutes for the Seagulls over the years suggests that he has the potential to be a creative force for the Tractor Boys. Since the start of the 2022/23 season, the £19 million-rated star has only started 14 Premier League games, appearing as a substitute in the remaining 30.

The 20-year-old youngster, who Jamie Redknapp characterised as “Ronaldo-esque” for the above strike, has shown promise in the Premier League, scoring four goals and creating seven ‘great opportunities’ despite only starting 14 games. ‘Ronaldo-esque’ is a nice way to define his style, if not his skill at the moment, because he is a dynamic, right-footed forward who can play on the left, as an attacking midfielder, or as a centre-forward, similar to Cristiano Ronaldo in his early days at Manchester United. His highest starts in a season for Brighton came in 2022/23, when he started seven of his 20 Premier League games, when he demonstrated his ability at the top of the pitch.

As shown in the table above, Enciso outperformed his positional peers in a variety of crucial attacking metrics, including take-ons and shot-creating actions. These statistics indicate that the Brighton gem has the potential to be a dream signing for Delap due to his ability to move the ball up the pitch and create shooting opportunities for his teammates, as indicated by his xAG and assists per 90. Enciso could provide a creative and front-foot presence on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, creating high-quality chances for the England youth international and ensuring that Ipswich make the most of their fantastic centre-forward talent in the second half of the season.

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