It’s been a mixed start to Premier League life for Ipswich Town this season.
Kieran McKenna’s side have only lost five of their opening ten games, which is quite impressive for a newly promoted side, but they have also failed to win a single one.
The Tractor Boys’ most significant weakness at present is undoubtedly their defence, as evidenced by the fact that they have conceded the second most goals so far, but they’ve also been sloppy in attack at times.
It’s too early to say with any certainty whether Ipswich will beat the drop this season, but if they continue to let in goals at the rate they are and miss the chances they are, their chances don’t look great, and it’s times like this that it would be great to have a former loan player whose valuation has since exploded back at the club.
Ipswich’s attacking form this season
So, if we’re going to examine Ipswich’s attacking form in the league this season, the logical place to start is with how many goals they’ve scored in their ten games and where they rank compared to the rest of the league.
The good news in this regard is that McKenna’s side are not the worst, but their tally of just ten goals is better than only Southampton, Crystal Palace and Manchester United, who have all been struggling massively this year.
Moreover, the underlying numbers don’t paint a particularly rosy picture either.
According to Understat, the Suffolk side have only created an expected goals figure of 11.09 in the league, so not only are the chances few and far between, but when they do come, the team are still slightly underperforming when it comes to their finishing.
The saving grace at present is Liam Delap, who has scored his five goals from an expected goals figure of just 2.81, and while that level of overperformance is unstainable for the long-term, it’s a sign that he has the ability to singlehandedly get the Blues out of trouble in certain games.
However, as impressive as the 21-year-old’s goalscoring exploits have been this season, a former Ipswich loanee is outscoring him at the moment, whose valuation has skyrocketed since his short stint at Portman Road.
Ipswich’s former loan star now worth millions
So, the former Ipswich loanee in question is current Nottingham Forest talisman Chris Wood, who has been enjoying a spectacular campaign this year.
The “outstanding” New Zealander, as dubbed by pundit Stephen Warnock, joined the Tractor Boys on a six-month loan deal from Leicester City in February 2015.
However, just over a month later, following 8 goalless appearances, he returned to the King Power before being sold to Leeds United that summer.
| Wood’s senior career | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Burnley | 165 | 53 | 9 |
| Leeds United | 88 | 44 | 9 |
| Leicester City | 62 | 20 | 10 |
| Nottingham Forest | 52 | 24 | 1 |
| Newcastle United | 39 | 5 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 | 9 | 4 |
| Birmingham City | 29 | 11 | 1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 27 | 3 | 6 |
| Millwall | 19 | 11 | 3 |
| Bristol City | 19 | 3 | 1 |
| Ipswich Town | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Barnsley | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Waikato FC | 5 | 0 | 0 |
The next nine years would see the Auckland-born poacher move from the Whites to Burnley to Newcastle United and then to Forest on a short-term loan with an obligation to buy in January 2023.
Since moving to the City Ground, the 74-capped international has taken a step-up, and this season, in particular, he has been unreal, scoring eight goals in just ten appearances and from an expected goals figure of 5.41, highlighting just how clinical he has become.
Unsurprisingly, his impressive career and recent form have seen his valuation balloon, and according to Transfermarkt, it now sits at around €7m, which is £5.3m or 598% more than the €1m – £800k – it was during his time at Portman Road.
Ultimately, while his stint in an Ipswich shirt was less than successful, we’re sure that McKenna would love to have Wood by his side now to compliment and help Delap continue to develop into a top-class forward himself.
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