Ipswich Town could strike Newcastle United transfer - it may affect Ivan Azon | OneFootball

Ivan Azon's struggles for regular starts may continue if Will Osula makes the switch to Ipswich Town from Newcastle United

It's safe to say that Ipswich Town have had a couple of great transfer windows this season, as Kieran McKenna's side looks to be ruthless in their pursuit of an immediate return to the Premier League.

There have been plenty of stellar arrivals, from the record-breaking deal for Sindre Walle Egeli to the signing of seasoned Ligue 1 midfielder Azor Matuisiwa and the move across the Suffolk/Norfolk border for Marcelino Nunez in the summer, and then the solidification of their squad with the additions of Anis Mehmeti and Dan Neil this month.

Unfortunately, due to those aforementioned arrivals, some of the other moves that looked exciting on paper haven't excelled as much as perhaps expected when they initially came through the door.

Ivan Azon has been one of those. The Como loanee is yet to play for the Italian side, but has a scoring pedigree in the lower divisions of Spain with hometown club Zaragoza.

The loan move to England presented an opportunity for him to test himself in a new division, but the 23-year-old has struggled for regular starts in this talented Ipswich side due to the presence of the likes of George Hirst and Chuba Akpom.

Now, Will Osula's name is on the lips of Ipswich fans, and if the Newcastle United frontman makes the switch to Portman Road, it would lessen those opportunities for Azon even further.

Ipswich Town's pursuit of Will Osula could impact Ivan Azon

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Newcastle striker Osula has been monitored by those at Portman Road for a while now, and there's potential that the 22-year-old Dane could land in Suffolk by the time the transfer window closes on February 2nd.

Despite the aforementioned attacking depth that Kieran McKenna has at his disposal, it's been the two widemen, Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene, who have taken the majority of the goalscoring plaudits, and adding an exciting, young striker to complement them has been a small priority for the Tractor Boys this January.

Last season's Championship top scorer, Joel Piroe, has been linked, but it seems that, if a striker were to come through the door at Portman Road, it could be Osula.

The 22-year-old has recently returned from an ankle injury, which has kept him out since early November, but even before then, he's been on the fringes of action for a Newcastle side that, this season, has struggled when it comes to having a constant goal threat at the top of the pitch.

A move away could be beneficial for both parties, but one party that would not benefit would be Azon, who, like Osula, has been used predominantly off the bench when fit this season.

Adding yet another striker would push the Como loanee even further down the pecking order, and with McKenna opting mainly for one striker in his system, being the fourth choice frontman when the league schedule starts to slow down in its relentlessness and midweek games become a scarcity, it'd be difficult to see the 23-year-old being involved at all.

Ipswich Town have to be relentless in their promotion charge in the second half of the season — Will Osula would be a clear upgrade

Ultimately, while Azon could feel aggrieved at Ipswich targeting another striker in the final few days of the January window, it's arguable that the 23-year-old has had opportunities to impress - opportunities that he has yet to take.

More often than not, the Spaniard has been introduced from the bench, and in those bench appearances, he's been afforded around 20 minutes to make an impact.

That obviously isn't as long as he'd get if he started regularly, but he hasn't just been utilised in the final five minutes to try and see out a game.

While everyone credits Ipswich's strong squad, and the majority of critics feel that Kieran McKenna's side will wind up in the top two eventually, the reality is that the Tractor Boys currently sit outside where they want to be, and they are going to have to improve further to catch Middlesbrough or Coventry City.

If that means improving a position that, relative to the rest of the division, is one of the strongest, then so be it.

Osula hasn't been afforded the chance to be a regular starter in his career thus far, but everyone knows that he has the potential to be a dangerous option up top. Perhaps at Ipswich, that potential could be realised, but it would come at a cost to the squad options in his position.