-
Feature
- 1 hours ago
What Chelsea fans can expect from Liam Delap
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 30 May 2025 21:58 BST
- 5 min read
Analysis
Chelsea are on the verge of formally announcing the arrival of Liam Delap after agreeing a deal to sign the Ipswich Town centre forward this summer.
The Blues have been linked with a plethora of strikers across Europe in recent weeks, amid their pursuit of a player capable of challenging Nicolas Jackson next season, and they have now finalised a move for Delap.
Current ETV
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
ETV Range
€27.8M - €46.3M
The England U21 international has rejected significant interest from a number of top Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, to join Chelsea this summer and he will link up with former Manchester City academy team-mates Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia at Stamford Bridge.
He will also reunite with Enzo Maresca, who coached him at Man City, with Delap expected to play a key role under the Italian next campaign.
The 22-year-old scored 12 Premier League goals during the 2024-25 season and he will arrive at Stamford Bridge for a fairly measly €35 million due to a relegation release clause in his Ipswich contract.
But, what kind of player is Delap and is he ready to usurp the aforementioned Jackson as Chelsea’s first-choice striker next year?
What Chelsea fans can expect from Liam Delap
Delap is a throwback centre forward and he may well remind Chelsea fans of a certain Diego Costa when he arrives at the club.
The England U21 striker thrives in physical battles, he is more than capable of leading the line by himself and his powerful running ability means he is a devastating threat in counter-attacking situations.
Chelsea saw this first-hand during their 2-0 defeat to Ipswich in January, with Delap almost single-handedly causing issues for every member of the Blues’ back four as Kieran McKenna’s side secured a famous victory.
Delap is also one of the most effective ball-carriers in the entire Premier League. His instant instinct is to play forwards and given he has mostly been a one-man attack at Portman Road, he has displayed an immense ability at driving into space with the ball at his feet.
In fact, Alexander Isak was the only out-and-out striker in the entire English top flight to complete more successful take-ons and more progressive carries than Delap during the 2024-25 campaign.
Given Chelsea dominate possession under Maresca, there are some concerns whether Delap will be able to adapt when faced against teams who deploy a low block. His penalty-box movement and predatory instincts suggest these doubts will soon be quashed.
The Englishman is a handful for central defenders and he has an innate desire to score goals, which means he comes alive inside the area.
Of Delap’s 12 Premier League goals during the 2024-25 season, eight were scored with his right foot and four were scored with his left. He didn’t score directly from a header throughout the entire campaign, however his aerial win rate stood at a respectable 42.6% - better than both Jean-Philippe Mateta and Chris Wood - and he is ideally-suited to playing as a target man.
He combines his immense hold-up play with incisive runs into the channel and an excellent work rate off the ball.
STATS
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
In several regards, he is actually a fairly similar profile to Jackson. However, he boasts an added physical threat, while his finishing is far more reliable than the Senegal international.
Delap netted more league goals than Jackson this season (12 to 10), despite playing in a team who suffered relegation, and Michail Antonio even recently tipped him to double his goal tally next year if he joins Chelsea.
Delap isn’t the finished article and he certainly remains a raw prospect, but the tools are there for him to lead the Chelsea attack for years to come and Blues fans should be excited by his arrival.
Football transfer news headlines today
OFFICIAL: Real Madrid complete signing of Trent Alexander-Arnold
EXCLUSIVE: Man City need ‘very crazy’ bid to sign Reijnders
Christopher Nkunku: Chelsea receive SHOCK enquiry as transfer 'guaranteed'
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
