Chelsea fans were able to get their first viewing of their biggest name signing so far during the opening Club World Cup match against LAFC.
The Blues ran out 2-0 winners against their MLS opposition, however their performance was laboured until the introduction of Liam Delap in the second half.
American media were very impressed by Delap’s first showing in a Chelsea shirt, even though Nicolas Jackson was handed the start in front of him.
There will have been a number of Chelsea players excited about the prospect of featuring alongside the Englishman now he has joined, with one of those being Cole Palmer.
Delap and Palmer enjoyed a great spell together at Manchester City, and it seems it hasn’t taken long for the striker to form a similar relationship with some of his new teammates.
Chelsea players react to Liam Delap’s debut
He assisted Enzo Fernandez for the second goal against LAFC, and the Argentine praised his new friend in the comments of Delap’s post-game Instagram post.
As well as a host of his former Ipswich Town teammates, Carney Chukwuemeka also sent a message to the £30m man following his debut.
Many pundits have been excited about the prospect of Delap playing for Chelsea, with goalscoring a noted weakness of their first season under Enzo Maresca.
One Blue has even predicted that his newly-forged relationship with the young striker could be fruitful for the club next season.
Enzo Fernandez makes exciting Delap prediction
Fernandez stated after the game that he believes the assist from Delap could be the start of a strong partnership between the two of them.
He said to SportyTV: “I see how good Delap is, and I hope he can assist me many more times and I can assist him too.”
Fernandez’s numbers took a giant leap in the 2024/25 season, with him one of the players who has improved the most since the new manager came in.
Given he has already found the net in the Club World Cup, he looks set to again be one of the players the Blues rely on as they try to win this tournament.
