As much as Ipswich Town fans will love getting carried away about the millions their club are currently splurging out on to pick up top new stars for the Premier League, they will know that there are a number of excellent performers already present in Suffolk who deserve a crack at the top-flight.
Leif Davis is certainly one of those that falls into the latter bracket, having torn Championship defences apart from left-back last season, on the way to an unbelievable promotion being achieved.
Kieran McKenna could look towards the success story of Davis, who was once a discarded product of the Leeds United academy, as grounds to go after an out-of-sorts target, in a bid to breathe life back into his stuttering career.
Ipswich could go after wantaway Spurs defender
According to Lilywhite Rose podcast contributor John Wenham, Ipswich could be one of a number of clubs down the line that starts to show an interest in Spurs defender Djed Spence, after the ex-Nottingham Forest loanee saw a permanent move to Genoa pass him by.
Wenham stated that he suspects Premier League interest might emerge for the wantaway 23-year-old soon, who has really struggled to make an impact in North London since joining in 2022, with three dire loan spells away from Ange Postecoglou's men coming his way.
How Spence could be Ipswich's next Davis
Leeds United allowed Spence to leave early from his loan stint last season after he failed to impress – playing just seven games – but Ipswich have been able to turn unwanted players from West Yorkshire into superb gems when they relocate down to Suffolk, with Davis the main glowing example.
With Ipswich also arguably light in the right-back spot, as seen with Ben Johnson already joining McKenna's group down this flank to add numbers, the forgotten 23-year-old could shine if given time to acclimatise and settle at Portman Road, having once been a firm fan's favourite at Forest as a dangerous and expansive full-back option, just like Davis.
As can be seen with the sumptuous strike captured above from his fruitful time at the City Ground, Spence is unafraid to get involved with many an attack for his side, which would complement his partner down the left in Davis perfectly.
Spence pickedf up three goals and five assists from 46 total games whilst still on the books at Forest, which is a far cry away from the poor form that has plagued him since being chucked out on loan, with zero goal contributions managed whilst playing for Genoa, Rennes and Leeds.
Games played
42
43
Goals scored
2
2
Assists
5
21
Touches*
63.7
65.3
Big chances created
6
15
Accurate passes*
25.3 (76%)
28.5 (79%)
Interceptions*
1.5
1.0
Tackles*
1.4
1.8
Total duels won*
5.8
4.0
Clean sheets
15
10
Comparing both of their peaks in the Championship, when looking at the table above, Davis' attacking numbers obviously sweep the floor with Spence's at a staggering 21 assists to his lesser five.
However, Spence could offer some defensive grit to a leaky Tractor Boys side in the Premier League too, having picked up ten more clean sheets across his 42 league games for Forest than Davis, alongside bettering his duels won total.
The on-the-fringes Spurs defender approach as a "swashbuckling" presence will also have piqued Ipswich's interest, as he was described by Arsenal great Ian Wright – with McKenna now potentially stumbling across his next diamond in the rough.
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ByKelan SarsonJul 14, 2024