Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap isn’t losing sleep over all the swirling transfer rumours at least, that’s what he says. The young striker has his head firmly in the trenches, focused on helping the Tractor Boys claw their way out of a relegation battle that’s beginning to feel like trench warfare.
They’re hovering dangerously below the survival line, but if there’s been one constant source of fight, fire, and belief in Kieran McKenna’s squad, it’s Delap.
The 22-year-old, usually nursing battle wounds by the final whistle, has become Ipswich’s lifeline scoring 43% of the team’s Premier League goals.
That’s not just a stat. That’s a badge of honour for a lad who’s taken every hit, run every yard, and made defenders’ afternoons miserable from August to now.
He’s in rare company, too only a dozen players in the entire division have hit double digits in goals this season, and Delap’s sitting among them, shoulder to shoulder with names pulling seven-figure weekly wages.
And this weekend, right on cue, he was back at it. Another goal. Another statement. Against no less than Aston Villa, a side eyeing Champions League football.
It wasn’t pretty nothing about this Ipswich campaign has been but it was gritty and honest. A 1-1 draw that felt like a small win in a season full of long nights.
Naturally, the big clubs are sniffing around. Chelsea, Manchester United… both reportedly circling. You score goals in a struggling team, especially one like Ipswich, and the noise is inevitable.
But when asked about the growing speculation linking him to a summer move, Delap kept it grounded no media-trained clichés, just a young player who sounds like he knows what really matters.
“It’s something I make an effort to avoid,” he said, shrugging off the links. “Those near me have advised me to avoid it, but it's something I excel at, focusing on my goals. That’s kicking a ball here. I’m truly having a great time here and I love playing each week. That is the key point.”
Simple. Honest. And if you’ve watched him lately, you believe every word.
Delap only joined Ipswich from Manchester City last summer. It was a £20 million move potentially more depending on certain clauses but it was clear even then this wasn’t just another loanee being shipped out for seasoning.
Ipswich wanted him, he wanted to play. It’s a footballing marriage forged in pure necessity and ambition.
City, naturally, covered their bases. They’ve got a buyback clause locked in, and they’ll pocket 20% of any future transfer. Fair enough. That’s just how the game works these days. But make no mistake, this is Delap’s team now.
“Focusing on my current situation is especially significant for me,” Delap added. “I'm really joyful here; I'm having a great time here. I simply anticipate playing football. I approach each game individually and concentrate on the upcoming one.”
You hear a lot of players say things like that. Not many sound like they actually mean it. Delap does. Maybe it’s because he’s been on the fringes before knocking on the door at City, loan spells where he was in and out of the squad, moments where it might’ve all slipped away. That kind of journey adds steel to a player. And gratitude.
But let’s not pretend the speculation is going anywhere. If Delap keeps banging them in, Ipswich might not be able to hold on, no matter how much joy he’s finding in Suffolk.
Chelsea are said to be watching closely and there’s a twist of fate there. Enzo Maresca, the man currently in charge at Stamford Bridge, knows Delap better than most.
The pair worked together at City’s academy, and Maresca’s praise for the striker this season hasn’t gone unnoticed.
You can bet conversations have already been had behind closed doors. “Would he fit in with us?” “Can he handle the pressure of playing at the Bridge?” The kind of backroom whispers that usually turn into formal offers come June.
Still, Delap isn’t in a rush. Ipswich is fighting for its Premier League life, and right now, that’s his fight too.
There’s a kind of old-school loyalty in his approach something football often loses in the heat of the modern transfer machine.
It’s not that he wouldn’t want to play Champions League football one day. Of course he does. Every young striker with ambition does. But he’s not skipping steps. Not phoning it in until a bigger move lands in his lap. He's earning it the hard way.
And in a season where everything feels like it’s on a knife’s edge for Ipswich, Delap has become more than just a number nine. He’s their symbol of hope.
One goal at a time.