Chelsea have a new signing and it has come before the summer transfer window would usually be open. They have acted quickly to secure a deal for Liam Delap and it opens up a range of possibilities for all parties.
The 22-year-old has moved for £30million from Ipswich Town, who he only joined last summer after Manchester United sold him for £15million, after they were relegated from the Premier League. He had been priced at more than that in January but became available for much cheaper due to a relegation clause.
Chelsea took full advantage of that and were already laying the groundwork for bringing in Delap over the winter. He has a relationship with Enzo Maresca having played at City in the Development Squad under his coaching.
Romeo Lavia was also there, as was Chelsea recruitment director Joe Shields, who has played a key role in deals for Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho as well. Delap will now team up with them once more and could make his debut sooner rather than later.
His arrival comes just two weeks before Chelsea are due to start their Club World Cup campaign in America. They face Los Angeles FC from MLS in their first group stage game of the newly structured tournament.
Due to be played in Atlanta on June 16, Chelsea will travel to USA for brief preparations after players carry out international duty this week. For Delap, who has not yet been selected by England’s senior team, there is a bit of a dilemma.
He is due to play for the England Under-21s side at the European Championship later this month. Chelsea, though, are keen to have him with them for the Club World Cup.
Having not played for Chelsea in the Premier League last season, there are questions over whether he would be eligible to feature. The good news is that the answer is yes.
According to FIFA’s rules: “Players are eligible to play in the Competition provided they are duly registered for their club in accordance with the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) as well as with the regulations of the participating club’s member association.” That means that as long as Chelsea complete the transfer as normal, he will be available for Maresca to pick.
As for the Club World Cup/Euros issue, Chelsea could add Delap to their squad and use him later on once the Under-21s are done. The FIFA legislation explains that a provision 26-man squad must be named with a maximum of 50 players. Delap could be added to that before being included in the larger final 35-man squad for the tournament.
Only players who are on the provisional list can make the final list, meaning that Chelsea will need to make a call on Delap’s inclusion early. Only 26 players (a starting XI plus 15 substitutes) can be named in a matchday squad.
Delap will then be named in Chelsea’s Premier League squad for the 2025/26 season. He will also count as homegrown but no longer falls into the Under-21s category.
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