Tottenham Hotspur have been monitoring the progress of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of potential summer swoop
With the winter transfer window now closed, Tottenham Hotspur will shift their focus towards preparing their list of summer targets.
After a woeful campaign, the Hotspur Way chiefs must map out key targets to strengthen the squad. It is not a surprise that the Lilywhites have been linked with plenty of players all across the globe. One player who is on the club’s radar is Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.
Liam Delap swapped Manchester City for Ipswich Town last summer following the latter’s promotion to the top flight. The hulky centre-forward has been in impressive form for the Tractor Boys in what is his breakout Premier League campaign, netting 10 goals and supplying two assists in 26 Premier League outings. He has emerged as one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise sorry campaign for Kieran McKenna’s side, who are currently 18th in the table.
It is the 22-year-old’s ability to find the back of the net, hold-up play and aerial ability that has earned him plaudits and links with a move to big Premier League clubs including Tottenham, Chelsea and Man United.
And while multiple clubs look to sign him when the summer window comes around, his current employers Ipswich may find it difficult to keep hold of Delap, especially if they end up getting relegated from the Premier League at the end of this season.
However, ex-Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson thinks the Lilywhites have to overcome a few potential hurdles to get Delap’s signing. The Winchester-born talent is likely to cost a decent amount of money, while Dominic Solanke’s presence in Ange Postecoglou’s squad may hinder a deal.
“He’s a player, I like him,” Paul Robinson exclusively told Tottenham News.
“I’ve seen him a couple of times this year. Saw him in the New Year against Chelsea at home when they got the result against Chelsea and I thought he was outstanding. I thought his work rate, his attitude, his application was excellent.
“He’s an old-fashioned striker who works extremely hard. He never gives up a lost cause. Could he fit in that Tottenham side? Yeah, he could fit in that Tottenham side but we know the way that Tottenham’s run.
“You look at what they spent on Dominic Solanke. Unless he’s going to move on, there’s no way they’re going to go to the market and pay what it would take to get Liam Delap.
“He will be a Premier League player next season. I’d take him at Tottenham but then what are you going to do with Solanke? Because of the way that Ange Postecoglou plays, it opens up a whole new conversation about the manager as well. Delap is not going to come and sit on the bench behind Dominic Solanke.
“Dominic Solanke’s not going to want to stay if Delap is going to come in and play instead of him. Would I have him? Yeah, absolutely. Will he end up a Premier League player for next season? Yeah, 100% definitely.”
Tottenham broke their club transfer record last summer by signing Solanke from Bournemouth. The idea to bring Solanke has been to fill the void left by Harry Kane, and while he has done well, the ex-Liverpool man has to do a lot more to come even closer to replacing our legendary striker. However, when considering all things, the 27-year-old has adapted well to Big Ange’s system.
If Solanke is Big Ange’s undisputed first-choice striker, it will take some convincing from the Hotspur Way chiefs to lure Delap away from East Angelia to North London as he will be unlikely to settle for a bench role. At 22, Delap knows he needs to play regularly to unlock his true potential, and that is why he left Man City in the first place.
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All in all, the Ipswich marksman would be a solid potential replacement for the injury-prone Richarlison. Nonetheless, as Robinson says, it would be tricky for Tottenham to pull off a deal for Delap considering Solanke’s presence as Big Ange’s first-choice striker.
