Sports News And Updates: Who is Connor Wickham, Ipswich Town Forward and Transfer Target for Liverpool and Others? (Video)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Who is Connor Wickham, Ipswich Town Forward and Transfer Target for Liverpool and Others? (Video)

Filed under: Arsenal, Liverpool, Sunderland, Tottenham, Premier League, Football, Transfer News

With apologies to Ipswich Town supporters who know more from watching the lad since 2009 than any profile could hope to tell them, Connor Wickham is an English forward who has caught the eye of several Premier League clubs.

The 18-year-old is 6' 3" (some say 6' 4") and started his youth career with Reading before moving to Ipswich, where he made his senior debut as a 16-year-old and, according to Wikipedia, became the club's youngest player. The move was the result of his father's job in the Army, which led the family to Colchester.

Suggestions that Wickham was born in Colchester are not be believed. It is in fact a matter of some pride to some in Herefordshire that the young man was born in Hereford.

Since then he has made 72 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals. He has also been a regular with England's junior teams, making appearances for the Under-16s, Under-17s, Under-19s and Under-21s. He's a Liverpool supporter and considers Fernando Torres to be a role model (except for the move to Chelsea part, presumably).

Wickham finished the season on a high when he was named Football League Young Player of the Year and the Championship Apprentice of the Year.

By way of an introduction, here are five factoids (descriptions doubtless featuring varying degrees of accuracy) about Wickham:

- "The the six-foot-four-inch forward was 17 and attracting interest from Arsenal and Tottenham, but then manager Roy Keane held firm saying the fans would "lynch" him if the starlet was sold.

"A year down the line and Wickham has generated even more interest with speculation of a move away from Portman Road refusing to go away. Wickham would no doubt like to prove himself in the Premier League and show he is the next Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott or Jack Wilshere: an impressive youngster who can make it in the big time." (Footy Matters)

-"A real handful for any opposing defence, Connor Wickham has been a regular goalscorer for the Three Lions at whatever level he has been selected so far.

"A first team squad regular with Ipswich Town from the age of 16, Wickham is a strong centre-forward with a keen eye for goal which was perfectly illustrated in the European U17 Championship Finals when he proved to be a major part of John Peacock's title winning team." (TheFA.com)

- "The pursuit of Wickham, who is seen by some scouts as the best traditional England centre-forward since Alan Shearer, contributes to the sense that Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are ready to invest heavily. They consider investment in young players with potential resale value to represent good business, but were aghast at the wage bill they inherited. Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic will need to be offloaded this summer.

"In January, Wickham agreed a two-year extension on his Ipswich contract to run to 2013, though in April that was replaced with a fresh deal which expires in 2014. It is understood the new contract includes an escape clause of £15m for the 6ft 3in player, who scored the winning goal against Spain in last year's Under-17s final." (The Independent)

- "Although he is only 18, Wickham played with no fear last season and with his 6ft 3in frame, had little problems coping with the physical side of the Championship. Ipswich may have already accepted that they will lose Wickham this summer and have already brought in experienced second tier strikers Michael Chopra and Nathan Ellington." (Goal.com)

- "Connor Wickham, the latest player to be branded the next big thing. I really do not understand why. Don't get me wrong, he's a big lad for 17 and he's quick but for a striker 4 goals in 28 games in the Championship is nothing to shout home about. I know a lot of these appearances are sub appearances but still, it's not the sign of a £10m player." (Football Blog)

In his own words:
"I have got some stick from the lads with the stories about me going to this club and that club," he said. "It's all good banter but nothing more than that.

"I want to play at the highest level, to play against the best players around. Hopefully I can do that with Ipswich. I know I'm at the right club to progress." (Daily Mail)

He also tweets - follow him here.

And finally, a few clips of Wickham in action: