Ipswich could make a dream signing for Delap in a move for “Ronaldo’s” star

Ipswich Town had a real welcome to Premier League moment, despite it being their 22nd game of the season, when they hosted champions Manchester City at Portman Road.

Pep Guardiola’s side ran riot in Suffolk and were crushed Kieran McKennaThe ‘Owl’s men with a 6-0 win, even sent off Kevin de Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden in the final 30 minutes or so.

It was the first time Ipswich had conceded five or more goals in a league game at Portman Road from 2021 against Bolton and for the first time they received six at home from a defeat by Leicester in 2011.

The Tractor Boys remain in the bottom three of the Premier League, on goal difference behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, but still have a realistic chance of avoiding the drop.

Bringing in more quality to strengthen the squad could give them a better chance of climbing above Wolves to avoid going straight back to the Championship. Jaden Philogene and Ben Godfrey arrived as the first two signings of the January transfer window.

McKenna should be in the market to add more options to his attacking arsenal as the team needs to do more to create chances 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 this summer and has been the main goalscorer for Ipswich in the Premier League so far this season.

He scored an incredible 40% of the club’s league goals with eight of the 20 goals scored by the team, which speaks to how important the striker has been to their efforts to climb from the bottom three.

Ipswich may have fallen even further behind Wolves and other teams in the league without his quality in the final third, and they need to find a way to get him even more involved in games in the second half of the season.

As you can see in the table above, Delap has been incredibly clinical in front of goal, surpassing his xG by 1.64, but his teammates haven’t created many opportunities for him, with just 6.36 xG in 21 games.

The 21-year-old marksman often had chances for himself with his powerful runs and impressive dribbling, as you can see in the clip below.

Ipswich must create more as a team to provide the striker with the ammunition he needs to win games for the Tractor Boys to push them out of the bottom three in the 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 Encisa.

Ipswich’s interest in Julius Encis

Earlier this month, TWTD reported that Ipswich had an interest in the Brighton & Hove Albion winger as management look to strengthen the squad before the end of the window.

They reported Nacion Media’s claim that Tractor Boys and Leicester City are eyeing the striker on loan and confirmed that he is a player of interest to the Suffolk-based side.

The Foxes should, however, cancel Facundo Buonanotte’s loan deal or sign the striker on a permanent deal, as Premier League rules do not allow a club to have two players on loan from the same Premier League team.

TWTD added that Enciso is a player that the Tractor Boys have been tracking for some time and that they have had their eye on the Paraguayan international for several transfer windows.

However, the report revealed that Ipswich are yet to formally examine a deal to secure his services, which does not suggest a transfer is close at this point.

McKenna, however, should push the club to complete a deal over the line for the versatile forward as he could come in as a dream signing for Delap in the second half of the 2024/25 season.

Why Julio Enciso could be Liam Delap’s dream

Ipswich will not be able to sign proven, quality players in the Premier League as they fight for relegation this season, meaning they have to take risks – the likes of Philogene and Godfrey.

Enciso would certainly be a gamble, given his lack of minutes at Brighton, but his form, in limited minutes, for the Seagulls over the years suggests there is potential for him to be a creative force for the Tractor Boys.

From the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign The £19m-rated star there is only started 14 games in the Premier League, playing as a substitute in a further 30 games.

20-year-old starlet, who was described as “Ronaldo-esque” for Jamie Redknapp’s overhead kick, showed Premier League potential, sfour goals and created seven ‘big chances’ despite starting just 14 times.

‘Ronaldo’ is a good way to describe his style, although not quality at the moment, as he is dynamic, right-footed, attacking 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 most starts in a season for Brighton came in the 2022/23 season seven of his 20 outings in the Premier League, and he showed his quality in the upper part of the field.

As you can see in the table above, Enciso ranks highly among his positional peers in a number of key offensive metrics, especially takeovers and shot creation.

These stats suggest that there is potential for the Brighton gem to come in and become a dream signing for Delap due to his ability to bring the ball up the pitch and create shooting opportunities for his teammates, further supported by his xAG and assists per 90.

Enciso could provide a creative and forward presence on the wing or as an attacking midfielder to create high-quality chances for the young England international to ensure Ipswich get the most out of their sensational centre-forward talent in the second half of the season.