Ipswich let a “great” player leave for £0, now he’s outscoring Szmodics

October 9, 2024 Ayinaga Ulanve Ipswich Town 0

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.

Sammie-Szmodics-Ipswich

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.

Registering 13 goals and eight assists in second-tier action throughout 2023/24, the 27-year-old will just pray his campaign this time around is a slow burner and he can eventually acclimatise to the pressures of the Premier League.

McKenna will hope these two can come good over time, with one ex-Tractor Boys player currently outperforming the out-of-sorts duo away from Suffolk.

How Dobra is performing after leaving Ipswich

The player in question is Chesterfield great Armando Dobra, who is a firm fan favourite to those with links with the Spireites.

Ironically, under the tutelage of former Ipswich manager Paul Cook, the deft Albania U21 international has blossomed at Chesterfield, where Dobra is currently a standout player for his team all the way down in League Two.

Dobra’s numbers since leaving Ipswich
Season Games played Goals scored Assists
24/25 12 3 0
23/24 46 10 10
22/23 33 11 3
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Before leaving on a free transfer in 2022, the 23-year-old only managed to make 30 dull first-team appearances at Portman Road. It must be frustrating that Ipswich didn’t pursue more of a relationship with the player, as he consistently draws crowds of spectators out of Chesterfield with stunning performances.

Dobra’s squad made it back to the EFL last season, contributing an incredible 20 goals. Danny Webb, the Spireites’ coach, called the explosive number 17 a “great” talent shortly after Dobra signed a new contract to play for this rising team until 2026.

His return to the EFL has gone down well as well; in the 12 games he has played this season, he has scored three goals in all competitions, surpassing the combined totals of Szmodics and Chaplin.

The Tractor Boys will undoubtedly have some misgivings about possibly giving up on Dobra too soon, even though there is undoubtedly a significant quality difference between League Two and the best in the English league.

Though Dobra is still doing well in the fourth division and Ipswich is trying to hold onto their spot in the top flight, McKenna and Co. won’t be sleeping too much over this predicament.

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