| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport 10:21 - Aug 4 with 1857 views | Lovejoy |
Ipswich Town - Luca Fletcher (winger/forward)
Nineteen-year-old striker Luca Fletcher joined Ipswich Town on a permanent deal in the summer after a successful loan spell from Manchester City.
While at City, rapid forward Fletcher, an England Under-17s international, helped the club reach the FA Youth Cup final in 2024 and 2025 before impressing at Ipswich, scoring six times in the Premier League 2.
He is yet to play a senior game, but has been training with Ipswich's first team, with new boss Gary O'Neil saying he has been impressed by the youngster.
Town's attacking options look limited with unproven Brazilian striker Emersonn, 22, joining for £24m, and Japan's Daizen Maeda also signing in an £8m move from Celtic.
In the Championship, the centre-forward duties were shared between George Hirst and on-loan Spaniard Ivan Azon.
However, Hirst, an unused member of Scotland's World Cup squad, only scored 11 league goals, while Azon only got five and has returned to parent club Como.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/fo
Surprised? Will he make 1st team this season? |  | | |  |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 10:27 - Aug 4 with 1718 views | Yppswyche |
I was mostly surprised how we were the only club for whom they used half of the allotted words to slate our current strike force rather than verbally cuddle a teenager |  | | |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 10:29 - Aug 4 with 1686 views | KTBlue |
sure he played in the friendly in Spain, and looked decent. |  | | |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 11:31 - Aug 4 with 1230 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
Has impressed whenever I've seen him. |  |
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| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:07 - Aug 4 with 1024 views | Smoresy |
Limited! 
I was before learning they've chosen one youngster from each club. They've selected only teenagers too, with Egeli now 20, so I'm not sure who his competition would have been (Barbrook, Boniface, Mendel, Buabo and Taylor are all 20+). | | | |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:18 - Aug 4 with 923 views | _CliveBaker_ |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:07 - Aug 4 by Smoresy |
Limited!
I was before learning they've chosen one youngster from each club. They've selected only teenagers too, with Egeli now 20, so I'm not sure who his competition would have been (Barbrook, Boniface, Mendel, Buabo and Taylor are all 20+). |
To be fair if they did an actual 'top 20 to watch' it would've been limited to about 4 clubs. |  | | |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:26 - Aug 4 with 831 views | HighgateBlue |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 10:27 - Aug 4 by Yppswyche |
I was mostly surprised how we were the only club for whom they used half of the allotted words to slate our current strike force rather than verbally cuddle a teenager |
It was a bit grudging towards Emersonn in spirit I thought.
He is young and unproven, but you can only really conclude that we have a weak strikeforce if you dismiss him.
And yes, if he disappoints then we will be in doo doo, as we would have been if Delap had been a misfire.
But I imagine (and hope) we will bring in another number 9, and will go into the new season excited. Whether the excitement is dashed, well we'll see.
As regards promising youngsters, it's fair to say that we've barely even tried to bring through our own youngsters over the last few years, and certainly haven't succeeded. There was a window of opportunity to give Humphreys more of a chance, and I felt he deserved it, but Kieran really wasn't fussed with that caper.
So we paid the biggest ever Champ fee for Egeli. On the evidence of last season, that was not money well spent, although he may very well still come good.
I'm not surprised that the article finds little reason (on an objective basis - not everyone is a Town fan) to be as excited about Ipswich's youngsters as some other clubs in this ultra-competitive league. |  | | |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:46 - Aug 4 with 689 views | Smoresy |
| Twenty youngsters to watch from BBC Sport on 12:18 - Aug 4 by _CliveBaker_ |
To be fair if they did an actual 'top 20 to watch' it would've been limited to about 4 clubs. |
You're quite right lol but consequently it isn't an article to put much stock in from our perspective. Bringing up our U21 squad now, I'd guess our one to watch was a battle between Fletcher and Mthunzi - as opposed to being a player the writer had 'organic" interest in or anticipation for.*
*re their PL impact next season specifically, I should have said. [Post edited 4 Aug 12:55]
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