Ipswich Town are fighting hard to avoid being instantly relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking after their promotion last year.
The Tractor Boys finished second in the Championship table last season and came up to the top-flight alongside Leicester City and Southampton.
Unfortunately, however, all three of those teams remain alongside each other in the bottom three in the Premier League after 20 matches, with Ipswich sitting the closest to the safe zone.
Kieran McKenna’s men are only behind Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference and one point behind Everton in 16th place, which shows that there is still plenty to play for between now and the end of the season.
The January transfer window officially opened for business at the start of this month and the Tractor Boys have wasted little time in bolstering their squad, with Ben Godfrey signed on loan from Atalanta and Jaden Philogene set to sign from Aston Villa in a deal reported to be worth £21m.
They do not seem to be satisfied with those two deals, though, as Ipswich are also reportedly in the race to sign a striker from the Championship.
Ipswich eyeing EFL sensation
According to the Daily Mail Online, the Tractor Boys are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a swoop for Middlesbrough centre-forward Emmanuel Latte Lath in the January transfer window.
McKenna is lining up a move to sign the Ivorian marksman to come in and bolster his attacking options for the second half of the season, as the Blues boss looks to build a team that is capable of avoiding relegation straight back to the Championship.
The report claims that Leeds United, West Ham United, and Ipswich have all shown an interest in signing the 26-year-old forward to keep him in the English leagues.
However, MLS outfit Atlanta United want to bring him across the pond and have submitted an offer worth up to £20m to secure his services before the end of the transfer window.
The outlet adds that Middlesbrough have yet to accept or reject the bid, which could be an MLS record fee, as they realise how important he is to their own hopes of achieving promotion to the Premier League this season.
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It reveals that Latte Lath would be open to making the move to America but that his expectation was that he would be able to join a team in the English top-flight this year, which could give Ipswich – and West Ham – an advantage.
The Daily Mail adds that Ipswich also failed to strike a deal with Boro to sign the EFL sensation in the summer window, and McKenna must ensure that he makes it second time lucky this month.
Liam Delap is currently the prime example of the kind of quality that can be unearthed by signing a striker who has shown promise in the Championship for the Premier League.
Liam Delap's form this season
The England U21 international spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Hull City from Manchester City and caught the eye with his strong displays at the top end of the pitch for the Tigers, who narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
Delap found the back of the net eight times from an xG of 6.31, and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates, in 26 starts in the second tier for Liam Rosenior’s side.
Ipswich then swooped to sign him on a permanent deal from Manchester City in the summer transfer window, and it is fair to say that he has been a huge success so far.
Appearances
19
xG
6.19
Goals
8
Penalties won
2
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Delap has been in fine form in the Premier League for the Tractor Boys and has already matched his goal tally from his Championship campaign last term.
Now, imagine if Ipswich had two strikers with that kind of quality to call upon, whether that is as a pairing in certain games or in rotation with each other.
Why Ipswich should sign Latte Lath
The Blues should push to win the race for Latte Lath this month because McKenna’s alternative options in the striker position have failed to do much of note this season.
George Hurst has scored one goal in seven Premier League appearances and Ali Al-Hamadi has failed to find the back of the net in any of his 11 outings in the top-flight.
Latte Lath, meanwhile, has scored ten goals from 9.26 xG across 17 starts in the Championship for Middlesbrough so far this term, which shows that Ipswich would be signing an in-form player who could hit the ground running because he is full of confidence.
The 26-year-old star, who was hailed for a “clinical” finish earlier this season by journalist Phil Spencer, also caught the eye with his performances in the second tier in the 2023/24 campaign, as he ended the year with twice as many goals as Delap – who scored eight for Hull.
Appearances
30
xG
11.62
Goals
16
Big chances missed
16
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, Latte Lath was ‘clinical’ for Boro, outperforming his xG by more than four goals, and this shows that he has the potential to make the step up in quality to the Premier League.
He is an efficient finisher who can make the most of the chances that are created for him, as Delap has done this season, and that is why the Ivorian ace could be an ideal signing for a side fighting relegation, as they cannot afford to be wasteful in front of goal.
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This is why Ipswich should sign the Middlesbrough sensation to bolster their attack because it could provide McKenna with two huge goal threats in the number nine position for the second half of the season.
And it is now down to the board to beat Atlanta United, West Ham, and Leeds in the race to secure the £20m-rated attacker’s signature this month.