Ipswich Town have confirmed the signing of Forward Ali Al-Hamadi from AFC Wimbledon for an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old has signed a long-term contract with the club, that runs until the summer of 2028. The Iraq international will wear the Number 16 shirt for the remainder of this season.
I am so so excited about this signing. In this article, I’ll explain Al-Hamadi’s style of play and why he’s such a perfect fit for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town.
General Information
Name: Ali Al-Hamadi
Age: 21 (DoB: 01.03.2002)
Position(s): Striker, Right/Left Winger
Nationality: Iraq
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 76kg
Preferred Foot: Right
Market Value: €400k
Playing Style
I actually did a Scout Report on Al-Hamadi just a few days ago, and that can be found below. But I’ll summarise some noticeable attributes of the 21-year-old.
Whilst his physical profile would leave you assuming he was a big target man, whose only real possessional contributions come in the form of holding up play, making flick-ons or simple wall passes, Al-Hamadi is so much more than that. He is as effective with dropping deep to collect the ball and dribble towards goal as a smaller, slicker forward. Whilst he is capable of linking up with his team-mates, if space is available, he’d much rather take the ball, turn and dribble at the defence, backing himself in a 1v1 every time.
His reading of the game is equally as superb. He knows when to drop into the midfield, and when to stay hanging on to the last man’s shoulder. His surprising pace assists him with making well-timed runs in behind the defence or into the box for cut-backs. Importantly, he is also comfortable shooting on both feet. He has taken 24 shots on his weaker left foot, and 49 on his stronger right foot. This doesn’t just add a layer of unpredictability to his shooting, but also to his all-round game. It helps him in dribbling, passing etc.
Video Analysis
To support some of the points made in the last section, let’s look at some in-game examples.
This goal against Colchester United shows some of the points we were discussing earlier in the piece; his good reading of the game, fantastic dribbling and well-thought runs in behind.
At the start of the clip, we can see Al-Hamadi (to the bottom of the screengrab) positioning himself deep, inside the right half-space. Look at his body language. With the Colchester player running into a busy midfield, he’s already anticipating a turnover, and where to position himself.
Sure enough, Wimbledon win possession back, and Al-Hamadi can be seen to the right, beginning his run, moving outwards, forcing the defender to go with him.
Aramani Little (who is in possession) is allowed to keep running with space, waiting to play the inevitable through-ball into Al-Hamadi, who is curving his run inwards. He remains well onside due to the disjointed state of Colchester’s backline.
From this position, it looks as if the chance may have got away from him, as the numbers in the middle made it impossible for him to go central.
But Al-Hamdi’s ball-striking ability, combined with great accuracy sees his shot find the back of the net. Admittedly, he is fortunate with the woeful keeping, but his well-calculated run, which began at the half-way line, warranted that bit of fortune. Again, Al-Hamadi is 6'2" and weighs 76kg, which makes these blistering runs from deep, with 67 minutes played, even more impressive.
Now let’s look at an assist from the same game, coming in the first half. In this first screengrab, we can see Al-Hamadi receiving the ball on the half-turn, once again, from a deep position on the right half-space.
In his true fashion, he decides to take the ball and dribble. At this stage, he’s being doubled up on, and decelerates his run slightly, in an attempt to throw the defence off…
Before speeding up again, all whilst looking up to see where strike partner Josh Davison is. His tempo change allows him to get that slight yard ahead of his defender, giving him room to play the cut-back in.
This isn’t a one-off. Al-Hamadi regularly makes runs through the half-spaces into the box, before even shooting himself, or selflessly cutting back, depending on the angle. This further demonstrates good reading of the game and brilliant decision making in front of goal, which is a trait that is often uncommon amongst players of Al-Hamadi’s age.
How good a fit is he for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town?
Short answer? An amazing fit. Whilst Johnnie Jackson’s AFC Wimbledon play a different formation, which usually involves playing with 2 strikers as opposed to the lone striker system at Ipswich, Al-Hamadi’s play style will still fit Ipswich perfectly.
He feels like a hybrid of Ipswich’s three most recent strikers. He has the game intelligence of George Hirst, the hold-up play of Freddie Ladapo and the relentless work rate of Kayden Jackson.
It’s even more exciting when you realise what players he now has servicing him. Horizontal passes between the lines from Davis, cut-backs from Burns, clever poked passes from Chaplin.
Not to mention that in League Two he was playing against deeper blocks. In the Championship, he’ll have more space in behind to run into, with his physical profile no doubt making him a nightmare to mark. There’s so many weapons in this guy’s arsenal that make him so unpredictable.
Not to mention that he can also comfortably play on both wings, adding cover there.
The obvious concern is that he’s been excelling in League Two, but after watching him extensively, I can tell that the step up won’t be a problem for him. His outstanding performances have not been built on the foundations of weak opposition.
It’s also important to remember that McKenna has a tendency to develop players. His time in the academies of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United means that he’s worked with plenty of players of Al-Hamadi’s age, and knows how to work with them.
I, for one, can’t wait to see him in an Ipswich Town shirt.
