Liam Delap is expected to be on his way from Ipswich Town to Chelsea. The club’s supporters are patiently waiting for an official announcement after days of intense transfer speculation, though.
It’s widely expected that Liam Delap, 22, will become a new Chelsea player in the summer transfer window.
Delap will pen a six-year deal at Chelsea, and the announcement is imminent. Without a doubt, it will be the biggest move in the 22-year-old striker’s career so far, joining a Champions League club despite suffering relegation from the Premier League with Ipswich last season.
Gary Neville approves of Delap’s transfer, claiming the centre-forward is a sensible purchase for £30m.
Martin Keown asks two questions of Liam Delap at Chelsea
According to Martin Keown, Delap’s imminent arrival at Chelsea feels like a positive signing from the club’s hierarchy.
However, the former Premier League defender has asked whether he can take them to the next level and whether he will start in the best XI.
Keown told talkSPORT: “Not dissimilar to Arsenal, they [Chelsea] need somebody else to come in there (centre-forward), and Delap’s going to be a nice signing for them. Is he actually experienced enough to take them to another level? Will he even play? Because Jackson isn’t all that bad, and when he was out for long periods, he was a big miss.”
During the talkSPORT video above, Simon Jordan reacted very positively to the Delap deal: He said: “I like Liam Delap. I think he’ll be a good addition for them. I think he would have been a good addition for any of the top sides in the Premier League because I think he’s that kind of player.”
Graeme Souness agrees Delap to Chelsea will work because the English youngster is capable of taking the next step in his development.
If he can score 12 Premier League goals in a single season in a poor Ipswich team, what can he achieve in a Chelsea side that is far more dominant?
What Chelsea told Liam Delap before the Conference League final
Chelsea clinched the Conference League trophy nearly a week ago by beating Real Betis 4-1 in convincing fashion in the European final. It turns out that Delap was one interested spectator.
According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea told Delap to envisage himself leading the line in Chelsea’s system while watching the Conference League final. Apparently, the young attacker liked what he saw.
For large parts of the 2024/25 campaign, the Blues did create a lot of chances and lacked a clinical touch in the final third of the pitch.
In Delap’s case, he’s still a young and upcoming talent getting ready to take a significant leap in his career. We do suspect that he may provide a more natural threat as a No 9 because he’s an out-and-out forward with a striker’s instinct.
