Ipswich manager Paul Cook is making a shrewd transfer call as it has been revealed that he is not interested in signing Will Grigg due to the potential of a deal for Charlie Wyke.

What's the talk?

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, Cook has decided that he does not want to bring Grigg to Portman Road as there is a possibility of signing Wyke from Sunderland on a free transfer.

Cook is keen on a deal to sign Wyke for nothing, with the attacker's contract at the Black Cats expiring at the end of the month. This allows Ipswich to avoid paying a transfer fee and they can negotiate directly with the 26-goal forward.

Earlier this season, Sunderland's Max Power praised Grigg for his movement and labelled him as “clever” in the way he makes runs in behind. He told the SAFC Unfiltered Podcast:

“I think if you watch Will Grigg, he can look as if he’s not doing too much and that’s a bit unfair because if you watch his movement, he’s very clever. He’s always on the shoulder, always looking to make runs in behind."

Shrewd call

This is a shrewd transfer decision by Cook and it could prove to be pivotal in mounting a promotion push next season if all goes well. Grigg has had excellent seasons in League One in the past, but they do not reflect his current ability and his recent statistics are fairly unimpressive. The Northern Ireland international managed a paltry eight goals in 32 games for Sunderland and MK Dons last season, with all eight of those coming in his 20 appearances on loan with Russell Martin's side.

Grigg has had four seasons in his career scoring 19 or more goals in a League One campaign, but the most recent of those came back in 2017/18 for Wigan. In the subsequent three years, Grigg has only managed 15 league goals combined for Wigan, Sunderland and MK Dons. This suggests that the £6k-per-week dud is well past his best, even if he stills retains his clever movement, and Cook is making a smart call by avoiding a deal for him.

Wyke, on the other hand, is coming off the back of his most successful goalscoring season as a player. The 28-year-old scored 25 goals in 43 League One games for Sunderland to fire them into the play-offs. He also offers a physical presence in both boxes, winning 4.8 aerial duels per game. This could help Ipswich in defending and attacking set-pieces, due to Wyke's prowess in the air. Therefore, Wyke is the better option than Grigg on paper and Ipswich could be set to add a goalscoring machine to their ranks instead of a forward who has struggled to kick on in recent years.