1 week Ago By [email protected] (Barry Cooper)
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer believes Liam Delap will leave Ipswich Town once the Tractor Boys' inevitable relegation is confirmed, with the race on to snap up the 22-year-old this summer. Town are nine points away from safety with only eight games of the season left, and Delap , who starred on loan at Hull City last season, has been a shining light, scoring 12 goals in his inaugural Premier League campaign in a struggling team. Shearer believes Delap could walk into Manchester United and Chelsea's starting line-ups now, while he's been linked with a host of other top-flight clubs, including Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest, as well as struggling West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, with it being reported the former Tiger has a £30m relegation release clause in his Portman Road deal.
Delap was impressive at the MKM Stadium last season, having joined from Manchester City for the season, and the Tigers were keen to bring him back this term. But that was never likely once top-flight interest became apparent and he eventually moved to Portman Road in a £20m move, joining another two former Tigers in Jacob Greaves and eventually, Jaden Philogene. "Liam Delap has been one of the standouts in a really poor season for Ipswich , and it’s difficult when you’re up against it every single week to stand out, but he’s been one that has," the Newcastle United legend told Betfair .
‘"Ipswich fans won’t want to hear it, but it’s inevitable that he’ll be linked with massive football clubs because he’s a really good talent. They’re sat on something special are Ipswich. They put their neck on the line and paid the money for him, and they’ve done very well with him.
Delap has stood out this season, which unfortunately means that he will attract the attention of the big clubs. "It’s going to be very difficult for Ipswich to keep hold of him, particularly because if, as expected, they’re going to get relegated. Having had a taste of the Premier League, he won’t want to go back to the Championship.
He’ll want to stay in the big league, so it’s going to be very difficult for Ipswich to keep hold of him. "If they go down, then he won’t want to stay. Who would want to go down and play in the Championship, having had a taste of Premier League football – that’s only natural.
"Big clubs will be looking at him because I think he’s got something about him. He’s got an arrogance about him, which I really like and he’s got an aura. "He’s already been linked with a number of clubs in the Premier League and looking at who he’s been linked with I think he can go in and command a starting role, because he’s better than anything Man Utd have got up front.
He’s also better than anything Chelsea have got up front, so the answer is simple – yes, he would start for those clubs. "I think the good sign is that he’s done really well in a struggling team and has, without a doubt, been the standout. They’ll do well to keep hold of him and Ipswich fans will not want to hear that! They’ll probably get angry hearing that, but that’s the reality, unfortunately.
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