Freddie Ladapo isn’t short of motivation.
The Blues’ No.9 is preparing to face former club Rotherham in the FA Cup this weekend, six months after leaving the Millers to make the move to Portman Road.
Then, next weekend, another of his former clubs are in Suffolk, when Plymouth Argyle come to town for one of the biggest games of the League One season so far.
Factor in Ipswich’s desire to bring in another striker during the January transfer window, increasing competition in his position, and Ladapo has all the fuel he could possibly need right now.
“For a player it’s always nerve-racking because it’s a time where someone can come and take your spot, but the sport we play means you will always have competition,” the striker said of the transfer window.
“You are always going to want to improve and if I support someone like Spurs, for instance, I want someone to come and improve the team. I’m sure the fans want someone to come in and do that for us and the manager (Kiran McKenna) and Mark (Ashton, CEO) are going to do their best to get us where we want to get to.
“For a player like me it’s about staying focused on what I bring to the team and being confident in myself. That’s all I can do.
“That motivates me more but for these next couple of games my motivation is high enough already, playing against my old clubs.
“I’ll have all the motivation for that.”
Ladapo has scored 10 goals in 29 Ipswich starts so far this season, with the striker happy with his contribution to the team but wanting more goals, having been in-and-out of the starting line-up under McKenna.
“I’m never happy and never contented,” he said. “I don’t think any striker can be, to be honest with you.
“I am happy I’m doing something and it’s been a help to the team, whether it’s scoring or not. I’m very happy with my contributions so far and hopefully I can give more.
“Different managers have different styles and ways they like to coach, but my main priority is to have as big a positive impact as I can.
“I’ve tried to do that and hopefully I can carry on doing it. You have to mentally prepare whether you are on the bench or starting games, feel how the team is doing and know what they need from you to either force a goal or change the momentum of how the game is going.
“Sometimes, when the team are winning, they need you to hold shape, hold the press and maybe win a few fouls. So you do have to sometimes adjust to the different challenges.”
First on the agenda is Rotherham, a side Ladapo won two promotions and a Wembley final in the EFL Trophy with, during a three-season spell which saw him net 41 goals in 123 matches under manager Paul Warne.
“It was a surprise and exciting as well,” Ladapo said of the third-round draw against the Millers.
“The Town fans were probably hoping for Man United away or something a little more exciting, but for me it is exciting.
“A lot has changed in the six months since I left but I was there quite a long time and had good success, so I’m looking forward to it.
“We had a couple of promotions in there and a (EFL) Trophy win at Wembley as well, with the one negative probably being the relegation from the Championship. But the seasons were all exciting.
“There have been a lot of texts being sent around because I’m still very, very friendly with a few of them. They came to my daughter’s christening and things like that, so I’m still very close to a few of the boys there.”
He continued: “We’re playing very good stuff and that’s why I came here, to play exciting football and hopefully get another promotion on my CV.
“We’ve been very positive, with 50 points so far and a lot still to play for. But if we can get through this game it will give us a chance to play against top Premier League opposition and even against some of the best in the Championship.
“The more games we can get through the better, so we can test ourselves, see how far we’ve come and how far we’ve got to go.”
The striker’s exit from the New York Stadium played out publicly, with reports of a transfer request and a spell where Warne left him out of the side.
Ladapo kept his cards close to his chest when asked about his departure, though: “Different people decide to leave for different things and I had my own personal reasons for why I wanted to cut short the relationship.
“I’m happy to be here and that’s what I want to focus on.”
Asked if he’s keen to play in this game, Ladapo replied: “Desperately.”
Once the Rotherham game is out of the way, Ladapo will then have another fixture against a former club to look forward to, when Plymouth come to Portman Road on January 14.
The 29-year-old spent just one season at Home Park, netting 19 goals in 49 games during a season where the Pilgrims were relegated to League Two.
“Yeah, these next couple of weeks are very exciting because I’m playing against my previous clubs,” he continued.
“There will be a lot of fans who know me and have seen me play, but I think for the team especially it’s a chance to test ourselves against Championship opposition and go for the title.
“I think both games are huge for us. It’s going to be like that all the way to the end of the season.”
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