Liam Delap has found the perfect Chelsea escape route at Nottingham Forest

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Former Chelsea striker Liam Delap has been tipped to reignite his career at Nottingham Forest, having bagged his first goal for the club during a 2-1 win at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Delap endured a testing period at Stamford Bridge, where he netted only one Premier League goal in his single season with the Blues.

Sold to Forest in a deal worth more than €50 million this summer, the 23-year-old has made a positive start and was a menace to Villa on Saturday.

“Tyrone Mings and Victor Lindelof couldn’t handle Liam Delap. It’s the best I’ve seen him play for a very long time. He’s powerful, he’s running the channel and he scored a very good goal,” Clinton Morrison said of the ex-Ipswich forward.

“When he gets the loose pass, he’s got one thought in his mind. You wouldn’t think that’s a centre-forward who’s not scored for a long time. He just picks it up and drills it. And the finish was fantastic. He could have had another, he was offside and hit the post. He was fantastic.

“I think Forest suits him, with the way he wants to play and his game, and knowing how I know Oliver Glasner, he’ll get the best out of Liam Delap. He was very positive.”

Delap’s first Forest strike was greeted by support on his social platforms from Chelsea players Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers, who featured alongside the No.9 at the Manchester City academy and also with England’s youth teams. Pedro posted a fire emoji while Rogers said: “Ma boyyy.”

Delap’s style issue with Chelsea

Delap struggled at Chelsea due to style problems. A striker who operates best in a team that plays direct, fast-paced attacking football, he was asked to operate in conditions that did not necessarily suit his playing style.

Nottingham Forest and Glasner should be more to his liking. The Austrian plays quick, transitional football and will use the No.9 as a focal point. Under Glasner’s guidance, Jean-Philippe Mateta managed to win international recognition with France, and Delap will hope that he can have a similar impact on his career after a difficult season.

Ironically, since leaving Chelsea, the Stamford Bridge side have adopted a style more suited to his game. There is a great deal more directness under Xabi Alonso, with the chaos element that the Spaniard has brought to the Blues reflected by the fact that their four games have produced 19 goals – the highest figure in the Premier League.

However, Delap would not have got the first-team opportunities at Chelsea that he will be offered at Forest, where there is not a striker like Joao Pedro barring his way from playing.