This summer transfer window was quite active for Ipswich Town because Kieran McKenna and company wanted to add some elite players to make sure the Suffolk underdogs weren’t completely overwhelmed by the Premier League’s quality boost.With Ipswich presently facing a protracted and difficult battle against the top-flight drop-zone, the Tractor Boys signed 11 new players in all, some of whom have adjusted to life more easily than others.
Liam Delap definitely fits the bill of the second bracket more than the first, with the ex-Manchester City wonderkid loving life at Portman Road at the moment, even as he now permanently finds himself away from the luxuries of Pep Guardiola’s men.
Delap’s start to the season
Delap has been a constant source of positivity for Ipswich this campaign so far even when results have gone against them, with the 21-year-old already onto four top-flight goals from eight appearances.
Even in games that have seen the Tractor Boys get turned over as they grow more used to the challenges of the elite league – seen in their recent 4-1 loss away at West Ham United – Delap still manages to exit those bruising experiences with his head held high, having bagged his side’s early equaliser on the day before everything suddenly went pear-shaped.
With Sammie Szmodics going silent after scoring an unexpected goal against Manchester City early in the season and former Sunderland star Jack Clarke still failing to score for his new employers in the Premier League, no other newcomer in attack has been able to fire with the same fluidity and brilliance.McKenna will be exercising patience with both of those permanent faces, but he will be growing increasingly agitated over loanee Kalvin Phillips, who is once again having difficulty reviving his playing days with a new club.Phillips’ Ipswich debutPrior to signing a temporary contract to move to Suffolk, Phillips’ previous loan with West Ham was a complete disaster for the Manchester City underdog.
The ex-England international would only make ten appearances in total for the Hammers, with former West Ham striker Dean Ashton even labelling his time at the London Stadium as “shocking.”
His poorest shift for the Tractor Boys to date coincidentally occurred at this familiar stomping ground, with Phillips way off the pace throughout against the Hammers, with an early error on the ball allowing Michail Antonio to score within the first minute to begin the 4-1 rout.
Ipswich top five earners – 24/25
Player
Wage
1. Kalvin Phillips
£150k-per-week
2. Axel Tuanzebe
£40k-per-week
3. Jens Cajuste
£35k-per-week
4. Sam Morsy
£30k-per-week
5. Ben Johnson
£30k-per-week
Sourced by Capology
Looking at the table above, Phillips’ eye-wateringly high wage will also be concerning for the Tractor Boys currently, with Ipswich throwing money away no matter what portion they are actually coughing up of his high £150k-per-week salary at Man City.
Amazingly, according to Capology, Delap earns a modest £20k-per-week pay packet when contrasted next to the 28-year-old’s steep wage, despite being far more in McKenna’s good books at the moment than Phillips.
Phillips may have time to salvage another disappointing chapter in his story, but if he keeps up the poor performances he has been putting up for Ipswich, this trade will undoubtedly be remembered as a costly error that the Tractor Boys regret.
However, Delap’s transfer already appears to be a huge success, as other players who joined this summer want to follow in the former Leeds United midfielder’s footsteps and perform similarly going ahead in an effort to help their new employers avoid relegation.
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