Is Liam Delap the Premier League's next superstar striker?

Throughout its prestigious history, the Premier League has boasted some of the 21^st century’s finest attackers. Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry and Wayne Rooney to name but a few. However, there is a new prospect on the rise in English football’s top division: Liam Delap. The young Englishman is considered to be a top talent, and he shows definite potential. But is Delap really good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Roberto Firmino, Alan Shearer or Mohammed Salah?

The short answer is, only time will tell. We can never have any complete certainty about what trajectory a player’s career will take, but let’s look at what we do know.

Delap’s journey in professional football began back in 2009, when he joined Derby. He spent ten years in their youth team, before being signed in 2019 by Manchester City for a fee of £1.3 million. Loan spells at Stoke, Preston and Hull followed, where Delap impressed, but clearly not enough. For when he returned to the Etihad, aged twenty-one, he was left out of Manchester City’s first team squad. Another year in the youth team beckoned for Delap. And then, in the summer of 2024, Ipswich came calling. With the newly promoted Tractor Boys looking for some more firepower to bolster their frontline. And Delap has most certainly provided that-he has racked up twelve goals in thirty games this season, making Delap the joint fourth U22 top goal scorer across Europe’s top five leagues. Tied with Jamal Musiala, and the only players ahead of him being Hugo Ekitike, Bradley Barcola and Cole Palmer. All this, with a struggling Ipswich team, bound for the Championship.

So, Delap’s quality is obvious. But what is behind it? What makes him so special? And is he truly destined for the top?

Well, one key feature which makes Delap so difficult for defenders to stop, is his physicality. Strong, fast, powerful and dynamic, Delap is a wrecking ball in the penalty box. He’s an arial threat too, standing at 1.86 m and at just twenty-two, is likely to add to his sizeable frame. But he’s more than just a freak athlete. Delap’s reading of the game is superb, as is his eye for goal. He has an ability to find the right positions at the right time, which is frankly uncommon for someone his age. Delap is incredibly hard to stop when running at pace with the ball, this is partly due to his physique, but it’s also down to his superb close control, and awareness on the field. Defenders back off him when he’s in motion, and that is where Delap is so dangerous. His prodigious strength translates into the power with which he strikes the ball. Oftentimes this season, we have seen Delap shoot at goal and beat the keeper with pure power rather than placement.

I believe that this goal against Aston Villa showcases Delap’s talents perfectly:

See how Delap (blue number 19) has, in the midst of a packed penalty area, found a pocket of space between eight Aston Villa defenders.

Here, Delap using his physicality to burst ahead of Youri Tielemans (white number 8) and get a powerful shot away.

The ball in the back of the net, Delap has beaten goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez (green number 23) at his near post for sheer power.

So, what next for Delap? Ipswich are currently sat twelve points from safety and are almost certainly going down. But, Delap’s standout performances haven’t gone unnoticed. His market value has flown up from £8 million at the beginning of the season, to £35 million. And as Ipswich slide inexorably towards the Championship, multiple Premier League club are eying up a summer move for Delap.

Manchester United, whose own strike pairing of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hoijlund have produced just six Premier League goals combined this season. Half Delap’s total at a much stronger side. The Red Devils are clearly looking for some more firepower, and Delap could certainly provide that. Newcastle are also interested. With their own star striker Alexander Isak linked to a move away, Delap could provide the perfect replacement for the Magpies.

Whether Delap finds himself playing in Manchester next season, or at Tyneside, or even in the Championship, the former Man City man is most definitely one to watch.

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