Ipswich Town’s first season back in the Premier League after 22 years has been a challenging one. Despite securing notable draws against teams like Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Manchester United, and achieving away wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Kieran McKenna’s team is currently in the relegation zone.
With more than half of the season still to go, there remains a strong chance for Ipswich to climb to safety, particularly with Liam Delap, who has been instrumental, leading the charge. The 21-year-old striker has been one of the standout signings of the season, and reports from last month suggest the club may be targeting another young talent who could follow in Delap’s footsteps.
Delap arrived at Ipswich for about £20m in the summer, a deal that looks like a bargain today, although there were no guarantees of success at the time. His limited experience with Manchester City—just 39 minutes in the 2020/21 season and eight minutes in 2021/22—raised some doubts.
However, Delap has been exceptional in his first full Premier League season, with six goals and one assist in 16 appearances, contributing a goal involvement every 2.28 games. His efforts, including key goals against Villa, Spurs, and Fulham, have helped Ipswich secure valuable points.
It’s not just his goals that make him an indispensable member of the team, but also his ability to hold up the ball, assist teammates, and challenge opposing defenders. Pep Guardiola himself has praised him as “incredible,” further underlining his importance to the side.
The possibility of Ipswich acquiring another player with similar potential should excite the fans. The player in question is 18-year-old Celtic prospect Daniel Cummings, described by football writer Kai Watson as “a pure goalscorer.” The promising forward, who has drawn attention from multiple Premier League and EFL clubs, is set to be available for a modest compensation fee of around €310k (roughly £262k), thanks to his contract expiring this summer.
Cummings has enjoyed a remarkable season, scoring 23 goals in 22 games. Over his career, he has accumulated 38 goals and one assist in 56 appearances for Celtic’s youth teams, averaging a goal involvement every 1.43 games. While it’s still too early to predict his future trajectory, his impressive youth record suggests he has great potential.
If McKenna and his team can secure Cummings, Ipswich would have another prolific and physically imposing striker in their ranks—just like Delap. The club is already fortunate to have Delap leading the attack, but having two exceptional young strikers would be even better.
