Ipswich Town would strike gold with ambitious Brighton transfer - It'd end Liam Delap fear | OneFootball

Ipswich will have to battle top-flight interest, but Evan Ferguson would be a huge coup for the Tractor Boys

Ipswich Town are still on the hunt for a new number nine, following Liam Delap's £30 million move to Chelsea earlier in the summer transfer window.

There's no doubt that the likes of Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene won't strike fear into the hearts of Championship defenders and score goals next season, but the lack of a focal point up top is getting Ipswich fans slightly worried as the new campaign draws even closer.

But Kieran McKenna's side have been looking at possible replacements, and they've been ambitious in doing so, with Brighton's Evan Ferguson one of the recent names linked to Portman Road this summer.

Mike McGrath stated that Ipswich looked at the Republic of Ireland frontman, but it seems that talks are moving forward with Serie A side Roma, whilst there was also interest from fellow Italian side Fiorentina and Premier League outfit Bournemouth.

Unlikely as it seems, a move to the recently relegated Ipswich side would be a great way for Ferguson to get his career back on track after a difficult season. And if the 20-year-old just fancied bagging a hatload of goals, a move to the Championship, where he'd immediately be one of the league's better players, could be a good decision.

Evan Ferguson would tear up the Championship at Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town already have one of the more dangerous attacks in the second tier going into the 2025/26 season, and adding Evan Ferguson would only serve to make it even more ridiculous.

The 20-year-old already has 22 senior appearances for Ireland and 68 top-flight appearances in his locker, scoring six times in back-to-back campaigns in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Last season, Ferguson stalled slightly and struggled to get into the team under the new Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler. His loan move to West Ham United to play under former manager Graham Potter didn't provide the desired impact either, starting just once in the latter half of the campaign.

But the 20-year-old still has a lot of potential and room to improve, and it makes sense that Italian giants Roma are in for him. But, if he makes the move to the Championship for a season, there's the potential to explode in front of goal whilst playing for one of the better attacking teams in the division.

Ultimately, it'll be up to how the Irishman wants to challenge himself going into the new season. Playing at the top level in Italy is obviously very attractive, but perhaps a drop to the English second tier would give him the confidence in front of goal needed to go and attack the Premier League.

Because the likelihood is that if Ipswich can convince the 20-year-old to spend a year in the Championship, he and the Tractor Boys will be back in the top flight at the first time of asking.

Evan Ferguson could fill the Liam Delap-shaped hole perfectly

Not only did Liam Delap provide quality with the ball at his feet and with his goalscoring ability, but he was also a big physical presence up front and was able to hold the ball up well.

Evan Ferguson stands six feet tall, just a few centimetres shy of Delap, and won his aerial duels at a rate of 43.8% last season, which placed him in the top 25% of Premier League strikers, per Fotmob.

If Ipswich were looking for someone who could play in a similar style to their former frontman, Ferguson could do that, and has the potential to improve in that way, too.

So, it may frustrate Ipswich fans that the talks about the young Irishman making the switch seem quite over-ambitious, because the 20-year-old could have not only the ability, but the potential to be a real threat for the Tractor Boys this season.