Two winners and two losers as Liam Delap heads towards £30m Ipswich Town exit

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Ipswich Town are getting set for life back in the Championship, and their fourth successive season in a different division from the one that they were last in.

Kieran McKenna’s side were relegated from the Premier League in April, but they have had slightly more time to prepare for 2025/26 because of this, and Tractor Boys fans are looking forward to life back in the EFL.

However, they will be without their main striker Liam Delap, with a £30m move to Chelsea lined up ahead of the transfer window opening, and a replacement will have to be found.

This will have a huge knock-on effect, and EFL Analysis has taken a look at two winners and two losers from the saga surrounding the former Derby County and Manchester City youth player.

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Two winners and two losers as Liam Delap prepares for Ipswich Town exit

Winner – George Hirst

If Ipswich Town are looking for an in-house replacement, then they have to look no further than George Hirst, who has had a decent Premier League campaign as the back-up to the departing Delap.

The Scotland international scored three times for the Tractor Boys in the league in 2024/25, and after firing in seven goals for the club in the Championship in their promotion season, he can be the man to take over the mantle in the coming weeks and months.

At 26, he is still young enough to improve as the years go by, while he still has plenty of experience that McKenna can rely on when needed.

Loser – Conor Chaplin

While Hirst may be able to take on the leading striker role next season, Conor Chaplin, who plays slightly behind the number nine, may well just find it tougher to find a place in the squad with McKenna potentially switching up the system.

He played fewer than a 1000 minutes in all competitions for Ipswich in 2024/25, and while relegation will see him return to a level that he has more knowledge of, this will be a busy summer for the Suffolk outfit and someone like Chaplin may be sacrificed to bring in new faces.

He was not very prolific at all in the Premier League, and a lack of confidence may plague him once again in the Championship.

• READ MORE – How ‘talented’ Jack Clarke can redeem himself for Ipswich Town in Championship after Kieran McKenna admission

Winner – Sammie Szmodics

As reported by BBC Sport, Sammie Szmodics joined Ipswich last summer from Blackburn Rovers for a fee that could reach £11m.

He scored the first goal of the Tractor Boys’ season, firing in against Manchester City and many expected him to go from strength to strength from there, but ultimately he was outshone by Delap who rightfully took all the plaudits.

With Ipswich needing a replacement for their striker, they need a player who they can rely on to score goals from a slightly deeper position, and that is exactly what Szmodics can provide. He has already proven how well he can link up with forwards, and he will only benefit from the arrival of a new superstar leading the line.

Loser – Ali Al-Hamadi

Ali Al-Hamadi spent the second half of last season on loan at Stoke City where fans started to take to him. He replaced Tom Cannon, a player who has struggled since signing for Sheffield United, but he only scored twice in 15 appearances for the Potters.

Ipswich need a player that they can rely on from the start of next season, and the 23-year-old has not yet proven himself to be leading the line for a club who will be targeting promotion.

With the unpredictability of the Championship in 2025/26, the Tractor Boys will more than likely look past Al-Hamadi, with Hirst or a new signing probably going to take the role of the number nine.