Across this season, especially during Manchester City’s six-game winless run the holes in Pep Guardiola’s squad have become clear to see. A host of City’s players appear to be losing their race with Father Time. There are also issues in the world champions midfield and defence that will need addressing either next summer or in January. But Manchester City’s need for another striker is apparent.
There is a heavy reliance from Manchester City on Erling Haaland to score for Pep Guardiola’s side. The sale of Julian Alvarez last summer to Atletico Madrid did leave a void in Pep Guardiola’s squad. Finding support for the world’s best striker does appear to be a priority for City in the transfer market, either in January or in the summer. I believe they need another striker in January to add cover for Haaland. But that’s another topic. But who could Manchester City target to provide cover for Erling Haaland? The idea of bringing Liam Delap back to the club does have merit on closer inspection.
Liam Delap’s play this season for Ipswich Town has reportedly caught the eye of several clubs.
David Ornstein has reported for the Athletic that Liam Delap’s strong start to the season has caught the eye of several clubs. Ornstein adds that Chelsea and Manchester United are monitoring Delap’s progress with Ipswich Town. Furthermore, Ornstein adds that Manchester City could ruin any other club’s chances of securing Delap’s signature. Ornstein adds that the world champions tend to include matching rights and buyback clauses in the sale of their academy talents. Liam Delap is one of those and that may make him the ideal striker for Manchester City to target in the future.
If Liam Delap continues to impress for Ipswich Town this season Manchester City may move to bring him back to the club next summer.
Since signing for Ipswich Town last summer, Liam Delap has shown he is more than capable of being a Premier League-level striker. He has scored 6 goals in 13 appearances so far this season. But what else has stood out is his dribbling ability and link-up play. That side of his game has been one of the standout features of Delap’s play this season. Based on what he has shown so far this season it is easy to see why he is attracting interest from some of the bigger clubs in England.
But from a Manchester City point of view making a move for Liam Delap does make a lot of sense. First of all, they know what they would be getting with Delap. He could slot straight into Pep Guardiola’s squad as Erling Haaland’s backup. But the game of Liam Delap does look to be compatible with playing alongside City’s number 9. With his dribbling, link-up play and finishing ability, Delap’s game could complement Erling Haaland’s. There is no doubt that Manchester City need another striker to provide cover for their top scorer. But if that player could play alongside Haaland it would open up more options for Pep Guardiola to utilise.
If Manchester City were to move for Liam Delap it would likely be a move they would contemplate next summer. If they can wait that long to bring in another striker depends entirely on Erling Haaland’s fitness this season. But if they do decide to wait until next summer to sign a striker Liam Delap may be the perfect player to add to Pep Guardiola’s squad. He would return to Manchester City’s squad a more mature and complete player. It may also not be at an extravagant cost, depending on the buy-back clauses included in Delap’s sale to Ipswich Town last summer.
How Liam Delap performs for the remainder of the season is a story to watch for. If he continues his strong start to the season he may be up for a move to a bigger club next summer. If that occurs it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Manchester City contemplate bringing him back to the club. The case is a compelling one to do just that.