Darren Bent is right, Sheffield United favourite would be perfect fit for Ipswich Town: View
Darren Bent has urged a number of clubs to target the Sheffield United loanee this summer
Following their promotion to the Premier League earlier this month, Ipswich Town will be looking to bolster their squad to give them the best chance of being successful in the top-flight.
The Tractor Boys will probably need additions in every position, but attacking reinforcements will certainly be needed with the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Jeremy Sarmiento and Kieffer Moore returning to their parent clubs this summer.
Darren Bent, who played for the Tractor Boys between 2001 and 2005, used his platform as a pundit on TalkSport to urge his former side, and other sides in contention to win promotion, to sign Ben Brereton Diaz following his successful loan spell with Sheffield United.
The ex-Blackburn attacker is currently contracted to Villarreal, but given his poor form for the Yellow Submarine, they may look to offload the Chile international this summer, whether that be on loan or permanent.
Darren Bent is right – Ipswich should target Ben Brereton Diaz
Speaking on TalkSport earlier this week, former England and Ipswich Town player Darren Bent told a number of clubs to try and sign Ben Brereton Diaz this summer.
He said: “He got six in 14. Nearly one in two. At Sheffield United. Come on.
“He went away to Villarreal, didn’t really play and then came back to Sheffield United. He is definitely one, if I am Ipswich, Leeds or Southampton. I think, yes, he is definitely [too good for the Championship].”
The former Ipswich striker makes a good point, and given what he’s shown at Sheffield United this season, the Tractor Boys should be all over a potential move for the 25-year-old this summer.
Diaz joined a Blades side who, make no bones about it, have been dreadful, but he still managed to score six goals and register an assist in 14 games for the club.
This is a pretty remarkable return, all things considered, and he certainly should be on the radars of Premier League clubs following that sort of return.
Despite only joining in January, he was the club’s joint top scorer, and there’s no doubt that he would have topped that chart had he been at Bramall Lane all season.
Brereton Diaz would be a perfect fit at Portman Road, and he’s able to play both left-wing and striker, which could be of huge use.
The way the Chile international cuts in on his right foot when playing on his left could allow Leif Davis to overlap in the space opened up, and this could be a good way to get to the byline and put balls into the box for strikers to attack.
Ipswich have Nathan Broadhead and Marcus Harness on their books as left-wingers next season, but it remains to be seen if Harness will remain at the club given his lack of regular Championship action, and Broadhead has impressed, but the club will definitely need more than one player in that position.
It’s a certainty that they’ll need to sign at least one striker this summer too, with Kayden Jackson making just nine starts last season, and with his contract up, he could well be moved on in the coming weeks. Ali Al-Hamadi is certainly a promising player, but it remains to be seen if he’s Premier League standard yet, so that leaves just George Hirst.
Brereton Diaz is able to play in two positions that Ipswich are lacking in depth, so signing him would help solve a dilemma for Kieran McKenna, and his recent Premier League experience would be invaluable.
You feel as if McKenna would be able to get the best out of him too, and it could be a very shrewd move for the Tractor Boys this summer.
Villarreal will likely be happy to let Ben Brereton Diaz leave
Having signed him on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers, expectations were high ahead of his move to Spanish giants Villarreal, but Ben Brereton Diaz has failed to live up to expectations.
He made 20 appearances for the Yellow Submarine during the first-half of the season, but failed to score or register an assist, and he soon started to play a bit-part role, before being loaned out to Sheffield United in January.
It’s been a far from ideal start in Spain for the attacker, and with three years left on his deal with the club, it remains to be seen what they’ll do with him this summer.
