Ipswich Town are expected to add a striker to their squad during the January transfer window. Andy Warren looks at some potential options.
Jonson Clarke-Harris – Peterborough United
The first name on this list is a striker with real pedigree at this level, who has been discussed in relation to Ipswich on a consistent basis over several weeks.
Nobody has scored more than Clarke-Harris's 13 in League One this season, with the 28-year-old netting more than 90 goals in the last four-and-a-bit seasons. He scored 33 as Peterborough won promotion in 2020/21 and hit double figures in the Championship, too, proving hugely effective at making space for himself to finish from inside the penalty area.
The fact he plays for Peterborough, a team who have designs on promotion, would be an obvious hurdle here, given they are unlikely to want to sell to a rival.
But there is a sense there is an opportunity for a deal to be done should this be a move Ipswich seriously pursue.
Aaron Collins – Bristol Rovers
Sticking with League One’s leading scorers, with a player who has matched Clarke-Harris's record of 13 but has also hit double figures in the assists column too.
Collins, 25, scored 18 goals in 50 Rovers games last season to help lead the Gas to promotion, despite not netting a single goal in any of his first 18 matches.
He’s mobile, a hard-worker, good on the ball and can drop deep to play as something more akin to a No.10, as well as leading the line.
A good option.
Will Keane – Wigan Athletic
Ipswich fans know Keane well, given his two prior spells with the Blues and the fact he scored twice against Town for Wigan at the end of last season.
He was a player of interest to the Blues last summer, despite winning promotion to the Championship with the Latics and he is likely to be again.
He’s been a regular for Wigan this season, under firstly Leam Richardson and now Kolo Toure, scoring nine goals in 25 matches, but still hasn’t signed the new deal which was being discussed in the summer.
Keane’s out-of-contract at the end of the season, making him an interesting proposition.
George Hirst – Leicester City/Blackburn Rovers
Another Ipswich target last summer was George Hirst, who the Blues were very keen on before he ultimately went on loan to Blackburn.
It’s not worked out at Ewood Park, with Hirst limited to only two league starts and no goals, with the loan said to be ‘under review’.
He could potentially be recalled by Leicester and sent elsewhere on loan, having signed a new long-term deal with the Premier League club in the summer.
Could Ipswich interest be revived? He did enjoy an excellent half-season with Portsmouth at the end of 2021/22, which yielded 15 goals in his final 25 matches.
Evan Ferguson – Brighton & Hove Albion
Teenage striker Ferguson has already been linked with a move to Ipswich by the national press, with the Blues reported to be one of a number of clubs tracking the youngster.
The Dubliner has been working his way towards a regular spot in the first-team picture at Brighton, scoring twice for the first-team this season, including in the Premier League game with Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.
He started and scored in last night's game with Everton but, with new recruits likely, the Seagulls may see a loan move as important for his development.
They will have no shortage of suitors if they do, with Ipswich surely facing Championship competition should they pursue their interest.
Macauley Bonne – QPR
The former Town striker, and big Ipswich fan, has to be included on this list.
An outrageously good start to life on loan at his boyhood club last season faded away in the second half of the season, with only one goal coming in his final 30 outings. He was in-and-out of the side under Kieran McKenna too.
Life back at QPR has been tough, with only 59 minutes of league football so far this season after a switch to Charlton cruelly broke down as the summer transfer deadline passed.
He’s available this month and there will surely be takers in League One.
There’s no indication Town will be one of them at this stage, though, given no move was pursued in the summer.
Connor Wickham – free agent
Another former Ipswich striker who, this time, is a free agent.
Wickham left Forest Green yesterday when his short-term deal came to an end, with the striker departing having scored nine goals in 20 appearances for the club.
Injuries have been an issue for him during his career, we know that, but he has very good pedigree and has proven this season he still has something to offer.
Would he bringing him back to Town until the end of the season be a low risk, high reward move?
Jack Marriott
One more for luck – here's a third former Ipswich player.
Marriott has been told he can leave Peterborough this month, having grown frustrated by a lack of football at London Road.
He won the third-tier Golden Boot with Posh in 2017/18, earning a move to Frank Lampard’s Derby which didn’t work out, before returning to Peterborough for the last two seasons.
Now 28, he has seven goals in all competitions this season but only four in the league. He hasn’t netted in League One since the first week of September.
Lyle Taylor – Nottingham Forest
The striker is 32 now and hasn’t played any senior football at all this season, having been left out of Nottingham Forest’s 25-man squad for the first half of the season.
That wasn’t a surprise, given Forest boss Steve Cooper loaned him to Birmingham a year ago, meaning he wasn’t at the City Ground as the Reds won promotion to the Premier League.
He’s surplus to requirements and has a goal-scoring history at this level, having excelled for AFC Wimbledon and Charlton in the third tier, netting 25 as the Addicks won promotion to the Championship in 2018/19.
Jevani Brown/Sam Nombe – Exeter City
The Grecians continue to punch above their weight in League One this season, thanks in part to the scoring form of both Brown and Nombe.
They have 20 between them – nine for Brown and 11 for Nombe – and between the two have a little bit of everything. In particular, they both move well and support each other, playing in a front two. They have 15 assists between them as well.
Exeter will be bracing themselves for bids for their best players from teams higher up the pyramid.
Nathan Broadhead – Everton/Wigan Athletic
Wigan have plenty of strikers and appear to be using many of them on rotation as they look for a spark to move them away from the foot of the Championship table.
Broadhead is on loan from Everton and has been in-and-out of the Latics side while being deployed in a variety of attacking positions.
It’s been suggested Everton could recall him and look to sell this January, meaning a striker who impressed in League One for Sunderland last season could be available. He scored 13 goals for the Black Cats in 27 games, while also missing chunks of the season through injury.
He’ll have suitors in the Championship, you would imagine, but would be a great option for Ipswich.
Ellis Simms - Everton
Another Everton striker, this time already recalled from his loan at Sunderland.
Simms impressed at the Stadium of Light, scoring seven goals for the Black Cats, including four in his final six games.
He’s back at Goodison, with Toffees manager Lampard keen to take a look as the Premier League side bid to combat a chronic lack of goals.
But, should he not feature, he could potentially be available for loan again. He’d have Championship interest, though.
Matty Taylor – Oxford United
Could a tried-and-tested old fox be the answer?
Now 32, Taylor has been a regular scorer for Oxford in League One, netting 64 goals in his three-and-a-bit seasons at the Kassam Stadium.
They’ve dried up a little this season, with only six coming in 24 games for a striker known by Town CEO Mark Ashton following their time together at Bristol City.
His contract is up in the summer, so could this be a time to bring in some experience?
Layton Stewart - Liverpool
Liverpool youngster Layton Stewart has previously been compared to Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres – no pressure there.
The 20-year-old has scored a bucket load of goals for Liverpool’s young teams and recently spent time with the first-team during a warm-weather training camp during the World Cup.
The suggestion is they may consider a first loan at some point in the coming year, with League One a potential level for him.
Given McKenna has a long-standing relationship with Reds academy manager Alex Inglethorpe, following their time together at Tottenham, could the Blues be trusted with him?
Ipswich would certainly be an attractive destination for young prospects and their parent clubs, even if the Blues may possibly be looking for more experience this month.
Charlie McNeill – Manchester United
Given McKenna’s come to Ipswich from Manchester United, there is always going to be a feeling that a young Red Devil may be an option for Town.
McNeill has been prolific in United’s youth system for several years but has had a quiet season by his standards, with a suggestion now he could be allowed to leave on loan.
Experience may be the order of the day for Town but, given someone like McNeill could be added outside the restrictive EFL squad, a young addition may be something of a free hit.
Joe Pigott – Portsmouth/Ipswich Town
We’ll end with a current Ipswich player.
Town can’t recall Pigott from his loan spell at Portsmouth but the Fratton Park club can, if all parties agree, send him back.
With a new manager on the way following Danny Cowley’s sacked, Pigott may be hoping for a fresh start at his new club, having struggled for regular gametime behind both Colby Bishop and Dane Scarlett.
But, if the new manager doesn’t fancy Pigott, could he return to Ipswich and become an option for McKenna.
It’s a longshot, given the former Wimbledon man didn’t really take his chance under the Town boss last season.
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