Ipswich Town: Eight striker targets for January as Blues eye promotion

Ipswich Town: Eight striker targets for January as Blues eye promotion

Ipswich Town could be on the hunt for a new striker as they hope to climb into the top two and secure promotion to the Premier League. Alex Jones picks eight potential transfer targets…

William Osula

I’ve written about Osula before, so it almost feels like cheating to go back to him again, but it’s hard to look past him and what he offers.

The former Denmark Under-21 international came through the ranks at Sheffield United, having joined them from FC Copenhagen as a teenager. From there, he spent time on loan at Derby County before making the move to Newcastle United in 2024.

Understandably, his minutes have been limited – 33 appearances in all competitions, but just one Premier League start. Of course, it can’t be forgotten that he came off the bench to score against Ipswich at the back end of last season as well.

The 22-year-old stands at 6’3. He’s powerful, agile and continuing to improve as a finisher. He’s strong in the air and quickly growing from a raw talent to an impressive, well-rounded no.9.

Osula is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, which has kept him out since early November, but is due to return soon. With Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa ahead of him in the pecking order, half a season back in the Championship could do him the world of good, although Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt are also reportedly keen, having come close to a loan agreement with an obligation to buy last summer.

Charalampos Kostoulas

Ipswich have taken a loanee from Brighton in the last two January transfer windows. Could they go for a third?

Make no mistake, this would be an ambitious move. The Seagulls don’t just rate the 18-year-old highly, they reportedly paid €35m (just over £30m) to sign him from Olympiacos as recently as June.

But game time has been restricted at the Amex Stadium – 11 appearances totalling just 168 minutes, one start. His lone goal came in an 11-minute cameo against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but he did notch an assist against Burnley over the weekend.

With fellow Greek centre-forward Stefanos Tzimas out with an ACL injury, this one could be tricky. Danny Welbeck is the only out-and-out striker that Fabian Hurzeler has available and there’s no option for Evan Ferguson to be recalled from his loan at Roma, although Georginio Rutter has been able to cover in the interim. Should they add another no.9, Kostoulas could be allowed out.

He’s 6’1, an excellent finisher and a balanced option to lead the line. He would be one of the best options available.

Eliezer Mayenda

Sticking with the loan theme, Mayenda has had an odd time at Sunderland. Signed from Sochaux in 2023, he hardly had a sniff at the Stadium of Light, with a brief, underwhelming loan spell at Hibernian doing little to kickstart his career.

Then along came Regis le Bris, who transformed the Spaniard’s career. He notched eight goals and five assists in 37 Championship appearances last season, with just 22 coming from starts. This season, he bagged his first in the Premier League, finding the back of the net on opening day against West Ham.

But the Black Cats moved to sign Brian Brobbey from Ajax, pushing Mayenda to third in the pecking order, with Wilson Isidor also ahead of him. As a result, he has five starts and six cameo appearances to his name this season, with more game time recently due to AFCON absentees.

He knows the level well, boasts a good record and can lead the line by himself. With Sunderland kicking on in the Premier League, this one could have an option or obligation to buy if promotion is secured.

Zan Vipotnik

The Championship will be a tough market to shop in. Most teams won’t want to sell to Town, and those that do will look for a hefty transfer fee.

Millwall’s Mihailo Ivanovic sprung to mind, and I picked him out over the summer as a potential target, but his form (four goals and one assist) has been poor since signing a new contract earlier in the campaign. That led me to Swansea City striker Vipotnik, a Slovenia international who was signed from Bordeaux after a glittering stint at Maribor.

The 23-year-old had 10 Championship goals going into the weekend, but unlike the other Golden Boot contenders, he’s playing for a team right at the bottom of the division.

The Swans are well-backed, having added Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart as investors, but every player has a price, and Vipotnik surely has Premier League dreams. He’s a strong finisher with both feet, sharp in the air and able to hold up play. His movement has been a real issue for Championship defenders this season.

Troy Parrott

Arguably the most ambitious target on the list, Parrott is a name on everyone’s lips at the moment, having bagged a hat-trick for the Republic of Ireland against Hungary to send them to the World Cup.

Of course, Ipswich are familiar with him. He had a loan spell at Portman Road back in 2020/21, scoring just twice. But he’s a different player now, scoring for fun in the Eredivisie, where he’s got 10 in 12 appearances for AZ Alkmaar.

The Dutch side will value him highly and he’ll cost a lot – likely a Championship record fee, although AZ have already signed a new striker this month in the form of Jizz Hornkamp. Competition will be fierce for Parrott too. He’s 23 and feels like the complete package for a striker. He’d be an excellent fit under Kieran McKenna.

If the opportunity comes up and Town have the wiggle room with FFP, he’d be the type of striker you’d like to take into the Premier League. Will an established top-flight side get to him first? There’s every chance, unfortunately.

Sam Surridge

If I said Ipswich should sign a player who finished second in a Golden Boot race to Lionel Messi, you’d call me insane, right? But Surridge feels like a feasible transfer target for a Championship team, even if Premier League strugglers Wolves are understood to be sniffing around.

The 27-year-old has an extensive background in English football, having come through the ranks at AFC Bournemouth. After numerous loan spells, he joined Stoke City on a permanent deal before making the switch to Nottingham Forest in 2022. Regular goals, however, proved elusive.

A switch to Nashville SC followed in 2023, and Surridge hasn’t looked back since, improving year-on-year. Last season, he registered a remarkable 25 goals and three assists in just 37 appearances.

MLS is obviously a different world compared to English football, but Surridge has Premier League and Championship experience. At 6’3, he’s a huge aerial threat and ridiculously shot heavy for a no.9, having taken 116 last season with an xG of 25.8.

He’d be a nightmare for defenders in a Town team that creates a lot of chances.

Taiwo Awoniyi

Awoniyi is said to be up for transfer. Reports suggest that Nottingham Forest are happy to let him leave in January, and he’d be looking to stay in England if he was to depart the City Ground.

The Nigerian, who spent time at Liverpool earlier in his career without making a senior appearance, had a number of loan spells before making the move to Union Berlin and then the City Ground.

In his first season in the Premier League, he notched 10 goals in 27 appearances. Those numbers have dwindled year-on-year, but come with reduced minutes. Chris Wood has spent a lot of time as first-choice at Forest, with former Town target Igor Jesus now leading the line.

The 28-year-old is unlikely to break the bank and would be an excellent no.9 to have in the Championship, with his physicality really standing out as a key trait. He clearly has an eye for goal and is a keen presser.

The Blues could do much worse, both in the short-term and beyond.

Joel Piroe

Piroe ticks a lot of boxes. He’s got a really strong record in the Championship, with 41 goals in 91 appearances for Swansea City and 32 in 96 for Leeds United. At 26, he can still develop, but now finds himself behind the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor and Lukas Nmecha in the pecking order at Elland Road.

Two starts, eight substitute appearances and no goals in the Premier League makes for bleak reading, but a return to the second tier could renew his confidence, especially for a team like Ipswich who create plenty of goalscoring opportunities. There are already rumours linking him with leaders Coventry City.

Daniel Farke’s side are unlikely to have any problems letting him out, either on loan or permanently, as they aim to secure their Premier League status. Signing a prolific no.9 who has won promotion from this division before would be a huge boost.

There are, however, some tactical question marks. Piroe isn’t big on pressing, instead preferring to drop deep and link play, or to linger around the goalmouth. Would McKenna accept that? If so, he’s a strong candidate.