Best signing since Davis: McKenna has hit the jackpot with Ipswich’s “wrecking ball”
Best signing since Davis: McKenna has hit the jackpot with Ipswich’s “wrecking ball”
Things might not be going too well for Ipswich Town at the moment, but their journey over the last few years has been nothing short of incredible.
Kieran McKenna has taken the Tractor Boys from a middling League One side back up to the Premier League for the first time in over two decades, and while it’s slight, there’s still a chance the club could be in the top flight this time next year.
Moreover, while the board have backed him considerably across the last two transfer windows, the Northern Irishman is still relying on some of the players who helped the team out of the third tier.
One of those stars is the brilliant Leif Davis, and while the full-back remains an essential part of the team, Ipswich made just as good a signing in the summer.
Leif Davis’ Ipswich career
Ipswich paid Leeds United just £1m for Davis’ services in the summer of 2022, and with how well he’s played in the years since, it might just be one of the club’s best-ever purchases.
In his first campaign with the Tractor Boys, the Englishman made 46 appearances across all competitions, in which he mostly played at left-back and managed to rack up a sensational haul of three goals and 14 assists, was named in the PFA Team of the Year and helped the club win promotion to the Championship.
Despite the big jump in quality, the following season saw the former Leeds ace do even better.
For example, in 44 appearances, which all came at left-back this time, the 25-year-old “animal”, as former manager Scott Parker dubbed him, scored two goals, provided 21 assists, was nominated for the PFA Championship Player of the Year and won the club’s own Men’s Players’ Player of the Year award.
Understandably, this season has been a little more challenging for the Newcastle-born maestro, and in 28 Premier League games, he has been able to amass a reasonable enough tally of one goal and three assists.
| Davis’ Ipswich record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
| Appearances | 46 | 44 | 28 |
| Goals | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Assists | 14 | 21 | 3 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.36 | 0.52 | 0.14 |
| All Stats via Transfermarkt | |||
Moreover, thanks to his impressive form in prior campaigns and the fact he’s managed to hold his own in the top-flight, Davis’ valuation has risen to €25m according to Transfermarkt, which works out to about £21m.
In all, the unreal full-back has to be considered one of Ipswich’s best signings in recent history, which could be said about another star McKenna recruited in the summer.
Ipswich’s best signing since Davis
While Ipswich have picked up a number of very talented players in the years since signing Davis, when it comes down to their best acquisition, it can only be one man: Liam Delap.
The Tractor Boys paid Manchester City around £20m for the Englishman last summer, and while there were some questions over how he’d fare leading the line for a Premier League side, he quickly showed he’s got what it takes to be a star.
For example, while it took him a few games to get up and running, the 22-year-old now has a brilliant tally of ten goals and two assists in just 28 league games this season, totalling 2196 minutes.
| Delap’s Premier League form | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 28 |
| Starts | 27 |
| Minutes | 2196 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Goal Involvements per Match | 0.42 |
| Minutes per Goal Involvement | 183′ |
| All Stats via Transfermarkt | |
That means the tremendously exciting “wrecking ball,” as dubbed by Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones, has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.33 games, or every 183 minutes, in the toughest league in world football for a team that are more than likely going to get relegated.
Moreover, it’s not just the former City prospect’s output that makes him such a useful player in the starting lineup, but also how he holds up the ball for others and occupies opposing defenders to free up more space for his teammates.
Finally, if the Suffolk side are relegated at the end of this season, then there are two possibilities for Delap’s future.
The first is that he remains with the club and takes the Championship by storm next year, in turn helping McKenna and Co come back up, hopefully at the first time of asking.
Or, the other possibility is that he does leave in the summer but, in doing so, brings in a massive fee, with some reports from earlier this year claiming he could go for as much as £40m.
Ultimately, both Davis and Delap have to be considered among Ipswich’s best signings in recent years, and if the team do beat the drop come May, then they’ll have certainly played their part.
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