West Ham United’s final match of a torturous Premier League season might just offer the fans travelling down to Portman Road a hint at a more exciting future.
The Hammers face already-relegated Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon; All ten games kicking off on the final day, albeit without the usual drama and permutations at either the very top or in and around the bottom three.
This could also be West Ham United’s final Premier League fixture with Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and Brighton loanee Evan Ferguson at their disposal.
As things stand, Niclas Fullkrug will be the only centre-forward in Graham Potter’s roster come July.
Antonio is yet to sign a contract extension while West Ham have already confirmed that Ings is exiting alongside Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski and Aaron Cresswell.
But with Liam Delap set to make a farewell appearance of his own – the Ipswich Town striker has a £30 million release clause in his contract – West Ham could hardly be gifted a better opportunity to look at one of this summer’s most in-demand centre-forwards at close quarters.
Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ipswich Town give West Ham United fresh Liam Delap hope
Hammers News exclusively reported in December that David Sullivan has been urged to bring Delap to West Ham by his own sons. Jack and Dave certainly seem to have good taste in centre-forwards.
Not only has Delap scored 12 league goals in a struggling Ipswich side, he also leads the line with the sort of stomping athleticism and broad-shouldered bravado The Hammers have lacked since Antonio’s claret and blue heyday.
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Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, in the build-up to Saturday’s curtain-closer, admits that Delap has now been given permission to talk to clubs about his next step. West Ham are rightly viewed as an outsider as things stand, though, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle jostling for pole position.
“Liam’s looking at his options for next year, which I think he’s entitled to do, and we support him with that,” McKenna tells the East Anglian Daily Times. “So, yes, we’ve given him the permission to do that this week.
“It’s a very important decision for his future. Of course, there’s a lot of interest and rightly so. So that’s been part of his week, he’s been having some of those conversations.
“It looks, I think more likely than not, that he’ll move on this summer. He has interest from pretty much every club in the league. I don’t think there’s many clubs in the world who wouldn’t want to have him. So I think it’s more likely than not that he’ll move on.”
Delap future uncertain as West Ham eye alternative striker targets
Amid reports that Delap wants European football – preferably Champions League football – at least West Ham have had the foresight to draw up a shortlist of attainable alternatives.
Emanuel Emegha is an option after shining in France with Liam Rosenior’s coupon-busting Strasbourg. Long-time target Yuri Alberto is still on West Ham’s radar.
And, a year after Artem Dovbyk chose Roma over West Ham, the Londoners are reportedly keeping an eye on the man who inherited his Golden Boot over in Ukraine; Dynamo Kyiv hitman Vladyslav Vanat.
“Of course, nothing’s sorted, nothing’s done or completed or even I think very, very, very close,” adds McKenna, a former assistant coach at Old Trafford. “That process will take its course.
“We’ll, of course, be proud of the part that we’ve had in terms of Liam’s development and his contribution this season.
“If he stays with us, we’ll be delighted. If he does move on this summer, then it will be a positive sign for the club, a positive step for the club, to have developed and sold a player at that sort of level. Hopefully it will be a good move for him.”
“He’s got great potential. It’s clear for everyone to see, I think, what he’s done this season for a newly promoted team that’s found it really difficult. Not just in his goals, but in some of his performances where he’s been almost impossible for the opposition to handle.
“I’ve said many times, he’s still young. He still has room to grow, to be more consistent, to round off his game. But in terms of attributes, I think he’s as good as what there is out there anywhere in the world.”