Chelsea officially announced the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, confirming Everton had missed out on a top transfer target.
Priced at just £30m, there is no doubt that Liam Delap was high on David Moyes’ wishlist. Unfortunately, a deal could not be made, and he joined Chelsea instead.
Moyes held talks with Delap ahead of the summer transfer window opening, hoping he could convince the talented 22-year-old to make the move to Everton over one of the teams higher up in the Premier League table. It is believed that Delap was impressed with Everton talks, but ultimately opted for Chelsea due to their participation in the Champions League.
Delap impressed in his first full season in the Premier League, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists for a team that suffered relegation. It comes as no surprise that he had so much interest, which immediately put the Toffees on the back foot.
Chelsea have now confirmed the signing of Delap, and Everton are left to search for another striker to sign this summer. The striker has now shared why he chose to join Chelsea over the Toffees.
Photo by Cameron Smith - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Cameron Smith – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Liam Delap believes Chelsea have a better chance of winning trophies than Everton
After missing out on Delap, Moyes is very eager to sign a new striker at Everton to deliver more goals than his current crop of attackers are doing.
Additionally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s contract is expiring this month, and there is no sign of a new deal for him yet.
Now, Delap has spoken out as to why he opted to join Chelsea over Everton, with his main argument being to win trophies.
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“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” he said in an interview on Chelsea’s website.
“It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here.
“I wanted to come here to win trophies. When I spoke to the club, everyone wanted to get back to the very top, and they have the quality and the players to do that.
“The hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective.”
Liam Delap could be joined by another striker at Chelsea after Everton decision
A move to Chelsea is admittedly a more exciting option for Delap at this point in time, but a good summer window could see the Toffees back in the frame for European football under Moyes.
Delap joined Chelsea to play in the Champions League and to be first-choice, but it looks like the 22-year-old could be in for a rude awakening after just joining the Blues.
Strikers linked with moves to Everton
Nick Woltemade
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Richarlison
Reports have stated that Chelsea are interested in signing another striker this summer, leaving Delap’s chances of playing regular first-team football hanging in the balance.
It is believed that Chelsea are eyeing a move for Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitke, who will cost significantly more than the £30m they paid for Delap.