They may have picked up a much-needed away win in the Europa League last night, but there is no escaping the fact that this season has been a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou’s side may still be in three cup competitions, but in the Premier League, their form has been nothing short of abysmal.
The North Londoners sit in 15th place, with more losses than wins to their name, and now that Dominic Solanke is set to miss “around six weeks” of action, they may have to rely on the unreliable and injury-prone Richarlison.
However, that might not be the case for very long, as recent reports have touted a sensational Premier League start for a move to N17, who’d undoubtedly start ahead of the Brazilian and potentially send him packing.
Tottenham target Premier League gem
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Tottenham are ‘still desperate’ to bring in attacking reinforcements for Postecoglou this month and have maintained their interest in Ipswich Town star, Liam Delap.
The report claims that the Lilywhites are confident they could land the young striker ahead of London rivals, Chelsea, this month.
However, in less good news for the fans, the report has also claimed that Daniel Levy does not want to get into a bidding war over the player, and given his importance to the Tractor Boys this season, other reports from this month have revealed that they would demand in excess of £40m to even entertain the idea of him leaving.
It would be a costly transfer to get over the line, but given how well Delap has played this season and his sky-high potential, it could be one worth overpaying for, especially as he’d finally send Richarlison packing.
How Delap compares to Richarlison
So, when he’s back to full fitness, there is no doubt that Posetcoglou will give Solanke the chance to reassert himself as Spurs’ first-choice striker, as so far this season, he’s looked impressive, racking up a tally of 17 goal involvements in just 29 games this season.
Therefore, if the club were able to get their hands on Delap this month, then he would likely play second-fiddle to the Englishman, at least for a little while, meaning his main competition in the squad would be Richarlison, and we reckon that is a competition he’d win quite easily.
For example, despite joining the North Londoners for around £60m in the summer of 2022, the former Everton star has only made 76 appearances for the club and, worse yet, he’s only managed to score 17 goals and provide nine assists in said appearances.
That means that across his stint with the Lilywhites, the Brazilian international has averaged a goal involvement every 2.92 games, which, for someone who cost as much as he did, just isn’t good enough.
In contrast, Ipswich’s goalscoring “beast,” as dubbed by Kieran McKenna, has found the back of the net on eight occasions in just 22 appearances this season and provided two assists for good measure.
|
Delap’s 24/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
Minutes |
1626′ |
|
Goals |
8 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.45 |
|
Minutes per Goal Involvement |
162.6′ |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
That means that the 21-year-old “battering ram,” as dubbed by Opta Analyst, is maintaining an average of a goal involvement every 2.2 games in his first full season of top-flight football and for a team that many predicted would seriously struggle.
On top of seeming to be a more productive forward, the Winchester-born sharpshooter also has the benefit of time on his side, as at just 21 years old, there is no telling just how good he could become five or six years from now and with the right coaching.
Ultimately, Spurs need to keep overhauling their squad this month, and if they were to go out and sign Delap to replace Richarlison, then that would be an exceptional piece of business and an excellent sign for the future of the team.
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