Kieran McKenna must listen to Emile Heskey’s Ipswich Town transfer plea on one condition | OneFootball

Ipswich Town and Kieran McKenna have to listen to Emile Heskey's verdict on the striker position this summer...

Emile Heskey knows a thing or two about strikers, having scored 110 Premier League goals for the likes of Liverpool and Leicester City. That is the level Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town are eyeing a return to.

The striker turned pundit had a wealth of Premier League and international experience, including spells at Leicester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa. Heskey’s game evolved through his career but his role as a facilitator came from being a physically imposing presence with intelligent link-up play.

It's fair to say in football that strikers tend to fall into three broad categories. Some are pure goalscorers: penalty-box predators whose movement, anticipation, and finishing instincts define their game. They live for chances and are judged almost exclusively on output.

Others operate more as facilitators. These forwards might drop deep, hold the ball up, win aerial duels or create space for teammates with clever runs and/or pace in behind. Their value lies in linking play and elevating those around them, even if their own goal tally is modest.

Then there are the more complete or well-rounded forwards, with the capabilities of leading the line physically, knitting attacks together, stretching play in behind, and still delivering consistently in front of goal. Heskey was the second option but Ipswich had a player who was an all-round threat just last season.

Liam Delap's move from Ipswich Town to Chelsea

Liam Delap's £30 million switch to Chelsea from Ipswich has not totally gone to plan thus far, but he showcased how to run the channels, dribble, be a focal point with your back to goal, and score goals while playing under Kieran McKenna.

He has shown flashes of that all-round play with Chelsea, scoring one Premier League goal and one UEFA Champions League goal in his 25 appearances so far in 2025/26. However, fitness and injury concerns have disrupted his rhythm.

A recent display against Hull City was Delap at his best version of himself in many ways. He linked play, pinned his centre-back, and collected a hat-trick of assists as his reward in the 4-0 FA Cup victory against Ipswich's Championship rivals and another of his former clubs.

It's still a far cry from the player who scored 12 and notched two assists in 40 Ipswich games last term, with Delap only 21 and 22-years-old last season and playing for a side who finished 19th with just 22 points.

He is clearly capable of far more than he has shown so far, with Joao Pedro collecting the lion's share of minutes at the spearhead of Chelsea's attack. Could a move be in the offing this summer? Heskey believes Delap could and should return to Ipswich.

Of course, he is not going to return to the Championship any time soon, but Ipswich have every chance of promotion. Middlesbrough's recent dropped points leaves Town six behind them with two games in hand ahead of the run-in.

Liam Delap could make Ipswich Town return on one condition

Delap is on a much higher wage at Chelsea compared to Ipswich but there is no denying that he would be worth looking at, providing Ipswich bounce back up at the first time of asking.

Not only would it be a return to a familiar environment and playing under a manager who knows him well, but Delap needs regular game time if he is to ever break into the plans of Thomas Tuchel with England.

For Ipswich, their top scorers and assisters in all competitions this season are all wingers and midfielders. Marcelino Nunez has three goals and seven assists, while Jack Clarke has 12 and one and Jaden Philogene has 10 and two.

No other player in the squad has broken 10 goal involvements, with the strikers struggling in particular. Chuba Akpom has two goals, George Hirst has seven with one assist, and Ivan Azon has three with two assists.

Irrespective of promotion, Ipswich need to prioritise firepower in 2026/27. Their main centre-forward needs to comfortably hit double figures in the Premier League, and they cannot simply have Hirst as a facilitator for goalscoring wingers in the Championship when at least one of Clarke or Philogene would likely depart.

The conditions for Delap to be that player are entirely conditional on promotion but a loan or even a permanent deal should be eyed by the Tractor Boys if they manage to overtake Middlesbrough in their pursuit of the top two, but Heskey's view is one McKenna has to consider.