Will there be regret?

Will not signing another striker prove costly for Ipswich? It is a debate that has raged among fans since the closure of the transfer window.

The morning of deadline day was met with excitement as multiple sources revealed that the on-off loan deal for Armando Broja was back on once again with a reasonable degree of confidence that it would be completed.

Fast forward to the 23:00 deadline and the window ‘slammed’ shut with no new arrival. Broja ended up at Everton meaning, until January, Ipswich have three strikers vying to be the focal point in Kieran McKenna’s 4-2-3-1 system.

Of the three, one was a new arrival this summer in Liam Delap. Another, Ali Al-Hamadi, was playing in League Two as recently as January. And the third, George Hirst, is still recovering from a knee injury picked up in pre-season.

Delap has certainly impressed in his early outings. A goal against Fulham, combined with his physicality and selfless running has shown that he has the attributes to be a big contributor this season.

Given the nature of our system, the ‘finishers’ are just as important as the ‘starters’. McKenna likes to change all four attacking players and maintaining the quality is crucial to our gameplans. Al-Hamadi is still raw and is playing catch up after missing most of pre-season.

The return of Hirst in October will prove vital. He has shown over the past 18 months that his stature and pace are vital weapons in the Ipswich armoury and can be used to great effect in creating space for the main goal scorers in the side, the three behind the striker.

His similarities to Delap may mean we do not need to dip into the market in January, but careful management of the current fit strikers will be crucial until his return.

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast