Kieran McKenna will have seen enough from his Ipswich Town troops on the road at Aston Villa to think they could still pull off an escape from relegation.
The Premier League relegation favourites managed to pick up a battling point at a daunting away stadium in Villa Park despite Axel Tuanzebe being given his marching orders late into the first half, with the Tractor Boys now hopeful they can surprise Tottenham Hotspur up next at Portman Road.
McKenna will know any positive result that’s likely to come about will be spearheaded by Liam Delap having another lethal game in front of goal, alongside knowing that Omari Hutchinson has the quality to hurt some of the top-flight’s best on his day.
Hutchinson's positive season so far
After all, both Delap and Hutchinson would combine to devastating effect when Ipswich opened the scoring against Unai Emery’s men to silence the rocked home masses.
The ex-Manchester City man’s flicked finish was a joy to behold for those packed into the away end, but the crucial goal was all the former Chelsea attacker’s work, with Ian Maatsen unable to get a firm grip on the 21-year-old before he then played Delap into space.
This isn’t the only time this season the exciting attacking pair have combined to strike fear into a top-flight defence, with this lightning-quick counterattack against Hutchinson’s ex-employers, Chelsea back in December seeing Delap turn provider for the midfielder to stylishly slot a chance away.
McKenna and Co will hope another Chelsea-like scalp is on the cards when a potentially complacent Spurs side travels to Suffolk, with Hutchinson wanting more goals and assists to justify his high £20m price tag and to keep his team afloat in the Premier League.
But, whilst Hutchinson has that punchy value next to his name, there is another under-the-radar performer in McKenna’s camp that boasts a higher value, having originally cost the Tractor Boys a meagre £1m to obtain.
The "remarkable" star now worth £21m
Ipswich, even if they do succumb to relegation, should be commended come the end of the season for the loyalty handed out to players who have been at the club since their League One days, with the likes of George Hirst and Massimo Luongo who came off the bench versus Villa situated at Ipswich during their third tier stay.
Leif Davis also falls into this conversation of loyal servants who have managed to constantly keep up with the times, with a first-team spot nailed down throughout his three campaign stint to date.
Last season is where the former Leeds United reject would really come into his own in Suffolk, with defence-splitting passes like this assist for Hirst becoming a regular trademark move, as the expansive full-back went on to amass a stunning 21 assists come the end of the jubilant promotion-winning campaign.
Davis’ heroics would even see football pundit Jobi McAnuff label the explosive 25-year-old as “remarkable”, with his constant creativity no doubt helping boost his transfer value all the way up to a bumper £21m, as per Transfermarkt. The £20m Hutchinson, for instance, is valued at around £18m.
Date
Value
Now
£21m
October 2024
£12.4m
March 2024
£4.9m
December 2023
£3.3m
July 2022
£1m
Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Davis’ value could end up rising far above its current £21m value, with the Newcastle-born defender potentially the club’s next big sale – similar to Delap being touted to move away for a steep fee of £40m.
Ipswich will hope they can keep a firm grip on their star number three past this season regardless of his price tag potentially rising higher and higher, having already got three assists out of the 25-year-old this campaign when making the leap up to the top-flight.
McKenna and Co would be facing a losing battle to keep Davis around if relegation was confirmed, but whether he stays or goes, it’s undeniable that the Suffolk underdogs hit gold with this shrewd purchase back in 2022.
Ipswich now showing interest in summer move for "excellent" £12m defender
The Tractor Boys have pinpointed a 25-year-old Championship centre-back as a potential target.
ByDominic LundFeb 16, 2025
