Chelsea are looking to finalise the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town in the next few days, football.london understands.
The Blues have activated the 22-year-old’s £30million release clause following the Tractor Boys’ relegation back down to the Championship. Delap had plenty of interest from elsewhere in the Premier League and abroad, but chose Chelsea because of the team’s style of play, the quality already within the squad and his belief that the club will be competing for the top honours in seasons to come.
Having previously worked with Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, Delap is already familiar with the tactical approach and expectations of his soon-to-be new manager. Maresca has praised Delap’s understanding of the game and his goalscoring capabilities recently.
Speaking in March, the Chelsea head coach said this on Delap: “In terms of numbers, he’s doing fantastic. I think he’s scored 12 [Premier League] goals already. It’s not just in terms of his numbers. The way he plays and fights and is always ‘there’. But he’s an Ipswich player. He’s an enemy on Sunday because we need to beat them, and then after the game I wish him all the best for the future.”
In December, Maresca said similar on Delap: “Liam is a fantastic player. Also for his age, we spent one year together. I think in that season, he scored 22 or 24 goals. This is a very good striker – as I’ve said many times, England are quite lucky because they have very good players, very good strikers, and it is working hard off the ball, on the ball he understands the game and he can score goals. Because of his age, I think he can be an important player for England.”
The fact he has played under Maresca before and knows what the Italian expects from his players means the settling in period – theoretically – should be quicker and smoother. Although it does not always work like this at the elite level, with the pressure of being Chelsea’s No.9 difficult to put into words or statistics.
Either way, Delap scoring 12 goals and providing two assists in Ipswich’s relegation season is seriously impressive – and not only that, but his work off the ball as well appeals to Chelsea. It makes so much sense for Chelsea, with Delap also fitting into the existing wage structure at the club. In contrast, signing someone like Victor Osimhen would mean the Blues would have to make an exception on that front.
Delap will be hoping to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, with a place in next summer’s England squad for the World Cup on the line. While he will be rotating with Nicolas Jackson, who remains highly rated at Chelsea, there is an opportunity for Delap to make the No.9 spot his own.
Meanwhile, with Chelsea closing in on the Delap deal, the Blues will turn their attention to a left winger. There are several names on the club’s radar, including Nico Williams and Jamie Gittens. While Williams is a long-term target, the Spain international’s wage demands are a concern.
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