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The new number 9…

100% agree

Either he improves or he goes to the bench. We can't rely on Salah being the only creator in the team.

Don't agree with you and Peter on this. His end product has admittedly gone missing but we'd be in shtook without his running and pressing.
 
Don't agree with you and Peter on this. His end product has admittedly gone missing but we'd be in shtook without his running and pressing.
Personally I think he should be more of an 8. Play him a little deeper, so he can do runs from deep and bring the ball out. There all his attributes make more sense to me.

Either slot has cut his bollocks off or he's lost them off his own back. Either way, he's mostly ineffective in the attacking third
 

Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig, 21
Sesko, like Gyokeres, boasts the height (1.95m, 6ft 4in) and physicality to thrive at the highest level. The 21-year-old can take players on and beat them at pace, with his close control in transition standing out.

This season has been tricky due to Leipzig’s struggles — they sit sixth in the league and recently sacked manager Marco Rose. Sesko’s involvement in build-up play has increased as a result. This could prove valuable for his development in the future, but his passing, while encouraging, is a work in progress (67 per cent accuracy in league action).

He has managed 14 goals in 34 matches across the league and Champions League, but Sesko has been forced to attempt more shots from outside the box (34 per cent of total shots compared to 11 per cent last season), and his overall finishing has been erratic due to his reliance on power over precision and placement.

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Alexander Isak, Newcastle United, 25
Gyokeres’ Sweden team-mate is equally good at creating chances for himself through clever positioning and runs in behind. Isak is a fantastic dribbler and able presser to boot, with a willingness to drop deep too.

As the graph below shows, Isak is hitting heights he has not managed before, significantly overperforming expectations.

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The only concerns surrounding Isak are his injury record and the financial side. Newcastle have no intention of selling their star forward so it would take an extraordinary fee for them to contemplate a sale.

His all-round play is reminiscent of what Jesus first brought to Arsenal in 2022, while his 6ft 4in height (1.92m) throws back to Arsenal strikers at the start of the 2000s.

Matheus Cunha, Wolverhampton Wanderers, 25
Cunha plays his best football as a false nine. He remains Wolves’ primary source of goals with 13 in the Premier League this season, but as the graph below shows, he is heavily involved in the moments leading to those strikes too.

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Cunha thrives in dropping deep — sometimes all the way into his own half — and initiating moves like the one below against Southampton from last November.
 
I hope the Gooners go for Gyokeres as, good player though he is, I'm not convinced he's top-of-the-Prem standard whereas the others are (IMO at least).
 
I hope the Gooners go for Gyokeres as, good player though he is, I'm not convinced he's top-of-the-Prem standard whereas the others are (IMO at least).

He's either going to be the next Haaland or a complete flop IMO. He's on one hell of a tear but failed in England before and so it remains to see if he can step up.

Playing for Arteta won't help him either.
 
I love a good made up rumour but that Anfield Watch set up is just jumping the shark now. Every 3 days a link to another striker. Won't be long before we're linked to Samu Omorodion or Retegui
 
I watched Osimhen's goal reel, and a load of the goals are pens. I'm not too fussed about his fallout with Napoli—he's got a fair reason to feel aggrieved—but many Napoli fans felt his performances were starting to dip. He’s done alright in Turkey since, without exactly setting the world alight.

I’d be cautious if I were the club bringing him to the Premier League. It feels like the kind of move Chelsea or United would make. No expert on him whatsoever, but most strikers coming to league at 26/27 don't make it, especially ones who have spent their careers in Italy and Turkey. There's enough red flags over any deal for him.
 
Unless the club signs someone like Isak or Alcaraz, I’ve accepted that any striker we bring in will range from a punt to a calculated risk.

I actually think there’s some sense in selling Nunez and activating Delap’s £40m release clause. Normally, I’m not a fan of placeholder signings, but in this case, I think we need to cash in on Nunez while he’s still an international and has some value. It might not be a game-changer, but it could offer a marginal gain while we wait for the striker market to improve and we have someone who can stay fit and score goals. What I really want to avoid is us spending big on the wrong player just because the market’s a bit rubbish. We did that with Nunez, and it’s massively held the team back.

If there's a top class, goal scoring RW, LW or CAM out there then we might be best making putting more of our resources in those areas, depending on outgoings and targets. Lots to think about.
 
I am not sure we have the luxury of time to bed someone like Delap in though. Our 9 position is not good enough and ideally we should aim for an immediate starter if we can move one of Nunez / Diaz / Jota. If we can move 2 of the 3 for good money it might then be worth considering Delap.

I do like Alvarez though but I am not sure if he will come or if we can pull it off for multiple reasons.
 
I am not sure we have the luxury of time to bed someone like Delap in though. Our 9 position is not good enough and ideally we should aim for an immediate starter if we can move one of Nunez / Diaz / Jota. If we can move 2 of the 3 for good money it might then be worth considering Delap.

I do like Alvarez though but I am not sure if he will come or if we can pull it off for multiple reasons.
He's too expensive. We also need more home grown players.
 
Not sure why people think Alvarez is an option? He went to Atletico this season for a huge cash sum. His La Liga tally id okay, 11 in 27. Its the CL where he has excelled. Regardless, unless we are going to pay Isak money, in which case get Isak.
As for Delap he has proved himself, and i don't think he needs as much time to acclimatise as people on this forum claim.
I do think we need an upgrade on Diaz, his output isn't the best, and the Saudis will offer top dollar for him.
 
Not sure why people think Alvarez is an option? He went to Atletico this season for a huge cash sum. His La Liga tally id okay, 11 in 27. Its the CL where he has excelled. Regardless, unless we are going to pay Isak money, in which case get Isak, get Isak.
As for Delap he has proved himself, and i don't think he needs as much time to acclimatise as people on this forum claim.
I do think we need an upgrade on Diaz, his output isn't the best, and the Saudis will offer top dollar for him.
Gracias. Finally some sense.
 
Not sure why people think Alvarez is an option? He went to Atletico this season for a huge cash sum. His La Liga tally id okay, 11 in 27. Its the CL where he has excelled. Regardless, unless we are going to pay Isak money, in which case get Isak, get Isak.
As for Delap he has proved himself, and i don't think he needs as much time to acclimatise as people on this forum claim.
I do think we need an upgrade on Diaz, his output isn't the best, and the Saudis will offer top dollar for him.
Your assumption on Alvarez not coming to us is at best on par with the assumption that Delap is good enough for us.

It's all opinions.

I agree on Diaz though, but I am pessimistic on whether anyone will offer top dollar, or even any actual fair dollar for him.
 

View: https://x.com/UTDONANA24/status/1907046521264099646

Before he turned 22 in Feb 2025:


View: https://x.com/DataMB_/status/1876637931353305298


Stats from earlier in the season:

Dated 20 Nov 2024
Liam Delap: The One-Man Battering Ram Carrying Ipswich’s Survival Bid

McKenna has recognised the need to adapt to life in the Premier League. Ipswich have averaged just 40.5% possession, the second-lowest figure in the top flight after Everton (38.5%), and they have had to dig in, battle and ride their luck for periods in most of their games since promotion. That has meant they’ve had to retain an attacking threat on the break, and Delap has been integral.

His profile means he is a perfect fit for a team who need to get up the pitch quickly and directly when they do attack, and he has provided some of the season’s most eye-catching moments with his runs. Many of his most impressive numbers this season back up the idea that he could feasibly play rugby – a sport in which, alongside athletics, he also excelled as a schoolboy. The thing is, Delap is also skilled enough to keep control of a ball at his feet while travelling both fast and far under pressure. He’d be wasted on the rugby field.

Of players to have played at least 200 minutes in the Premier League this season, Delap averages the longest carries (where a carry is defined as moving with the ball at least five metres), at 14.7m per carry. He also averages the third-highest distance progressed towards the opposition’s goal (10.1m per carry), behind Diogo Jota (10.5m) and Michail Antonio (10.4m).

He also ranks favourably for carry directness – the percentage of the total distance covered through carries that is towards the opposition’s goal – with 68.7%. That is, for every 100m he carries the ball, he moves 68.7m upfield, which is the seventh-highest of all attackers and 12th-highest overall.

View attachment 3931


So, when he gets on the ball, he tends to move long distances with it, and he consistently takes his team up the pitch, away from the danger of their own goal and into positions where they can pose a threat of their own.

There is little more thrilling sight in football than watching a player move with the ball at speed towards the opposition’s goal, particularly when they get into a shooting position at the end of it. Watch a player do that once, and it essentially means that every time they get on the ball there’s a chance there might be a goal at the end of it. That is very much the case with Delap.

Only four players (Iliman Ndiaye, Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and James Maddison) have recorded more shot-ending carries (eight each) in the Premier League this season than Delap (seven), but the difference is how far he is carrying it each time. Delap has covered a colossal 154.9m with the ball before shooting, which is more than anyone else in the league and more than twice as far as any of those four players with more shot-ending carries (Ndiaye – 76.6m).

In the list of the longest shot-ending carries in the Premier League this season, Delap is the only player to appear twice in the top 15, and his second-longest shot-ending carry also brought a goal.

At 33.2m, Delap’s carry in the lead-up to his sensational equaliser against Aston Villa was the second-furthest anyone has travelled with the ball before scoring a goal in the Premier League in 2024-25.
And while Nicolas Jackson leads the way with his 33.7m carry before his opener against West Ham back in September, Delap is also responsible for the third-longest goal-ending carry, with his 30.1m run prior to netting against Fulham.


View: https://x.com/IpswichTown/status/1840499290482909685

View: https://x.com/IpswichTown/status/1831663576811249728

But there’s more. Delap struck that wondergoal from 26.2m out, making it the longest-range goal that has followed a carry by anyone in the top flight this season. So, as well as being able to carry the ball a long way before shooting, he is also capable of scoring from a long way out, too. The combination is a frightening one, and makes him a threat just about whenever he gets on the ball anywhere on the pitch.

Dated 15 Feb 2025
Liam Delap: How Man City academy product became a one-man wrecking-ball leading Ipswich's survival charge
Liam Delap's best bits for Ipswich Town in the 2024/25 Premier League

Dated 28 Mar 2025
His 21 shots at the end of ball carries is a season-high among regular centre-forwards, and his stellar individual goal at home to Fulham is a great example of what he brings.

And of all the players to have featured for at least 800 minutes, Delap is only ranked behind Anthony Elanga and Michail Antonio for the length of progressive carries, averaging 15 metres.



View: https://x.com/LewisFN00/status/1907194073808593286

He is a very good player, but I'd like to know if his style of play would translate to a team higher up the table facing deeper defenses with limited space. Whenever a fullback is good at attacking, there are always calls to play him in midfield. But very few top-level managers do so. It is one thing to attack and dribble when you have the space in front of you to build momentum. When you are playing packed defenses, you need a little bit more silk in your boots. See Nunez against us in CL and for us.

He does check a lot of the other boxes. We do love a reasonably priced pickup from a relegated team - Wijnaldum, Robertson, Shaqiri, Ings. I believe Delap has a 40 million release clause. We love release clauses, and that price is bang on in terms of what we like to pay. He contributes to our homegrown quota.
 
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