It is early days, but Chelsea have already seen what Liam Delap is about following his arrival from Ipswich Town.
Delap made an impact while leading the line for Chelsea in their 2-0 win against Los Angeles FC at the Club World Cup.
Delap provided a nice assist for Enzo Fernandez during that game and made some threatening runs at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He also showed that he is a tough and rough centre-forward in his side’s 3-1 defeat to Flamengo last week.
Liam Delap #9 of Chelsea enters the field before the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between CR Flamengo and Chelsea FC
Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Liam Delap warns defenders he’ll continue to be aggressive
Delap arguably went over the edge during Chelsea’s last Club World Cup outing, picking up a yellow card for one of his challenges.
Delap is now a booking away from suspension, meaning that he will miss the Blues’ first Club World Cup knockout round game if Chelsea qualify for that stage of the competition.
However, the striker has made it clear that he will not stop being aggressive during matches.
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“I love those battles,” Delap was quoted as saying by The Athletic. “I always have since I was a kid. I really love the aggressive side of it and the competitive nature of the sport. It’s got to be controlled at times but it’s my game ultimately and I enjoy it.
“I’ve always had that same edge and I’m not going to change the way my mindset is. You’ve just got to make sure you’re on the right side of the edge.”
The 22-year-old picked up a lot of cautions in the Premier League last season but was never sent off, in contrast to Nicolas Jackson.
Liam Delap’s 2024/25 disciplinary record Total
Games 37
Yellow cards 12
Red cards 0
Via Transfermarkt
The Senegal international was shown a red card during Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in May. Jackson was also sent off against Flamengo, so his disciplinary record is something that he needs to work on.
Liam Delap #9 of Chelsea F.C. battles Leo Pereira #4 of CR Flamengo
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Liam Delap on taking No.9 shirt
When he joined Villarreal from Chelsea in 2023, Jackson rejected the opportunity to wear the No.9 jersey.
Despite its bad history, Delap has taken it, not fearing the shirt number’s past. “At the end of the day it’s a number on the back of your shirt,” the England Under-21 international said.
“To me it doesn’t really mean a lot, it’s just a number. The number nine has always been related to strikers so it’s something that I like but there’s no pressure.”
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata all wore the No.9 shirt and enjoyed little success at Chelsea. Blues fans will now be hoping that things turn out much differently for Delap.
With Jackson suspended, the former Ipswich man will be expected to don that jersey when Chelsea take on Crystal Palace in their first game of the new Premier League season.