Liam Delap has contributed to 11 Premier League goals in just 23 games
Liam Delap has had a superb Premier League campaign so far.
This is his first season at the level, playing for a newly-promoted side where he wasn’t even tipped to be the starting striker. But after 23 appearances, he’s got nine goals and two assists to his name.
He’s found the back of the net more than Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Dominic Solanke, Hueng-min Son and Jarrod Bowen. He’s level with Kai Havertz and Nicolas Jackson, and only one behind Ollie Watkins and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“It’s come really positively for me,” he said. “At the start of the season coming in, I knew I had confidence and belief that I could score.
“It’s credit to the manager and the boys for helping me improve day-on-day in training.
“Getting there, it’s obviously an individual stat, but without the team behind me, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Kieran McKenna clearly played a big part in Delap’s decision to move to Suffolk. The striker had interest from Southampton and elsewhere, but ultimately decided that he wanted to work under the Northern Irishman at Portman Road.
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“I think he’s incredible,” he enthused. “How he is with us as players, how he manages us and helps us learn every day. His detail that he goes into, it’s top notch.
“You can see that everyone is improving game-by-game and I think that’s a credit to him.
“I knew that, coming here, it was going to be a good place. I’ve probably been pleasantly surprised by how happy I am here and how much I enjoy it.”
This season hasn’t been smooth sailing, of course. Ipswich find themselves at the bottom end of the Premier League, embroiled in a fierce relegation battle and three points from safety.
Delap is full of praise for manager Kieran McKenna
Delap is full of praise for manager Kieran McKenna (Image: PA)
Their recent form isn’t ideal, with four defeats in a row preceding an FA Cup victory at Championship side Coventry. Delap, however, has stressed that their attitude will always remain the same – never too high and never too low.
“It doesn’t change,” he revealed. “They have worked so hard in the last few years to create that culture.
“We come in on a Sunday or a Monday after a game, and no matter whether we’ve won or lost, it’s always the same.
“There’s no dwelling on the losses and we just need to focus on the next game in hand. Everyone comes in with that mindset.
“We just need to hone in on the details. Our performances have been getting better and there are small, minor tweaks that we need to change.
“We know them as players, we know we can do them. It’s just that consistency of delivering it game-on-game and hopefully coming out with the points.
“The culture here is excellent. Everyone challenges each other every day, it’s such a good place to come in and work.
“Everyone’s happy, everyone demands from each other. Whether we come in from a win or a loss, it’s always the same.”
Blocking the outside noise is important for any player, but especially for Delap, who’s been linked to every top-six side in the Premier League at one point or another in the last few months.
There’s clearly a lot of interest in the 22-year-old, but his only focus is Ipswich, so focusing on his football is a clear priority over anything else.
“It’s engrained in us as footballers,” he argued. “It’s so important, especially for me, to focus on where I’m at now.
The 21-year-old is ignoring the speculation about his future at Portman Road
The 21-year-old is ignoring the speculation about his future at Portman Road (Image: PA)
“I’m so happy here, I’m enjoying it so much here. I just look forward to playing football. I take every game as it comes and focus on the next.
“It [the media speculation] is something that I try and stay away from. People around me have told me to stay away from it, it’s something that I’m very good at in focusing on what I want to do. That’s playing football here.
“I’m really enjoying my time here and I enjoy playing every week. That’s the most important thing.
“We know, as players and people, that there is noise. If we have a bad game and people are slating us for not performing or getting the right results, we stay focused on ourselves and what we have to achieve.”
Town’s attacking output isn’t solely down to Delap. It’s a team effort, and with plenty of attacking depth in the final third, the former Manchester City man is confident that they will continue to improve in the final weeks of the season.
“We’ve got a really talented frontline with some new boys who arrived in January,” he explained. “It’s really exciting for us to play together and learn new relationships.
“We’ve been working a lot on being more clinical and decisive, so hopefully it comes out on the pitch.
“The core group of boys that we’ve got, and everyone that we’ve brought in, we’ve got terrific talent.
“The new boys coming in, we haven’t played with them a lot, so it will be good to play with them and develop new relationships.
“I definitely think that, throughout the whole squad, we’ve got a great amount of talent.”
This is, of course, a big step in Delap’s career. This is his first permanent move away from Man City, at least at senior level, and the move had to be right. Now, having felt the love from the fans and those at the club, he wonders why he didn’t join sooner.
The striker spent last season on loan at Hull City
The striker spent last season on loan at Hull City
“It’s incredible,” he chuckled. “The feeling around the town and everyone involved with the club, it’s such a special feeling.
“I’m unfortunate that I only arrived this season, but the boys have spoken about the last few seasons as well, that feeling, the noise, the atmosphere. It’s incredible.”
Nonetheless, his previous loan spells were clearly beneficial for him. He looks back on them fondly, even the ones that didn’t work out. After all, they have helped him reach the stage that he’s at today.
Asked how he thinks he’s changed since then, he replied: “I don’t think I’ve changed. I think I’ve improved and developed a lot. I’ve probably matured, but I also learned a lot from the manager at Hull and the manager here.
“I’ve become more consistent. I try to help and do what’s best for the team.
“The boss [McKenna] is so detailed on the out-of-possession side of things. Before I came here, I had a concept of it but probably wasn’t aware of what he wanted me to be.
“It’s something that he and all the staff have helped me with throughout the season. I feel like I’m starting to improve that.
“That’s the one side of my game I’m trying to improve.”
We’ve seen a different side to Delap since moving to Ipswich. He uses his physicality very well and comes across as an old-school no.9. That starts in training and carries through onto the pitch.
“The environment here is very intense and all the boys buy into that,” he said. “The gaffer made is clear to me when I came here that training every day is top level, everyone competes.
“It’s not just me, everyone competes every day in training. Sometimes it can get feisty.
“When I was younger, it probably went over the top too much. It’s something that I’ve tried to help and learn from because I got in trouble when I was younger.
“Now I’m starting to understand what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s too much and what’s not.”
His father, Rory, probably played a part in that. A midfielder who played almost 600 games in all competitions between 1994 and 2013, he’s seen as a cult hero in the Premier League.
Delap can always turn to dad Rory for advice
Delap can always turn to dad Rory for advice
Liam benefits from his guidance and the pair stay in touch, which is helpful as he continues to find his feet in the men’s game.
“It’s really nice,” he admitted. “I speak to him most games, and if I need any advice, I can ask him.
“He’s not too harsh now. When I was younger, he was a bit more harsh and he used to grill me a little bit.
“Now it’s a little bit better.
“He probably knows the ins and outs of football, having spent his whole life in it. He keeps me on the right track and makes sure I’m continuing to work hard.”
There’s certainly a platform for Delap to go on and become a great player, just like the players he looked up to as a child.
“I watched Cristiano Ronaldo when I was young. I idolised him when I was a little boy and growing up, I was so focused on him. In recent years, you’re looking at Harry Kane I think. What he’s done is incredible.
“I’ve always had it in my mind that I love scoring goals and I love the feeling of scoring goals. For me, to be anything other than a striker wasn’t the one.”
If he continues to play at this level, the sky is the limit for him. There are already calls for him to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, and with a World Cup on the horizon, there’s something for Delap to aim at too.
“I just try and focus on my performances,” he answered when asked about a potential call-up. “That’s for them to decide.
“If it doesn’t come, I can keep my head down and keep working hard. If it does come, it’s a really proud moment.
“All I can do now is keep putting my head down and keep putting in performances.
“You always think about it. You have dreams and goals. Looking ahead, that is a dream of mine, to play for my country.”
