Ipswich Town are being linked with two new strikers who could line up to be potential replacements for Martyn Waghorn, amid the current speculation about his future.
TWTD are reporting that Paul Hurst has been eyeing up the likes of current Wales international and Barnsley striker Tom Bradshaw, as well as current Bristol Rover striker Ellis Harrison.
The news comes after reports where in a recent press conference, new Ipswich manager Hurst, said that he “couldn’t guarantee that Waghorn would still be at the club by the start of the season.”
Waghorn picked up 16 goals and 11 assists last season at Portman Road, which was his first at the club, and offers are expected to come in from bigger teams willing to offer more money than Ipswich can.
The two players linked as replacements are Tom Bradshaw and Ellis Harrison. Bradshaw is a current Welsh international who has plenty of Championship experience, and will potentially be looking for a new club after his Barnsley’s relegation to League One last season. Still only 25-years-old, Bradshaw has picked up three international caps for Wales recently and performed well for the Tykes last season, finishing the season with ten goals in all competitions.
The Shrewsbury-born forward signed for Barnsley in the summmer of 2016 from Walsall for a fee of around £700,000, so Bradshaw will probably not come cheap should Ipswich wish to put in a bid for him.
Harrison on the other hand, has spent his whole career at Bristol Rovers – bar a one-month loan spell at Hartlepool during the 2015-16 season, so it may be harder to pry him away from the club that gave him his chance in professional football. The Newport-born forward doesn’t have any experience of Championship football, but has played a big part in Bristol Rovers’ rapid rise from National League to League One.
The 24-year-old has played over 200 games for the Gas, and last season managed 14 goals and five assists to help Rovers almost push for a play-off place.
Harrison would definitely be the cheaper option of the two, but with an increasingly improving goal record in the south-west, this could be his time to step up into the Championship and prove his worth. Bradshaw is likely to be more expensive but has already proven his worth in the division, and could be the safer bet for the club.
