Liam Delap has been told that he can become another Didier Drogba or Diego Costa for Chelsea as he is a “wrecking ball” of a striker.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The England U21 international has joined the ranks at Stamford Bridge after seeing a £30 million ($41m) exit clause triggered in his contract at Ipswich on the back of suffering relegation out of the Premier League.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Delap generated plenty of transfer talk before making his way to west London and into a squad that is currently chasing FIFA Club World Cup glory in the United States. The 22-year-old has already opened his goal account for Chelsea after taking on the supposedly “cursed” No.9 shirt.
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Delap Chelsea No.9 GFXGetty/GOAL
WHAT DORIGO SAID
He is being backed to follow in the footsteps of some legendary forwards that went before him, with former Blues defender Tony Dorigo - who was speaking in association with pikakasinot.fi - telling GOAL: “I think what’s interesting with Delap is that he’s got that physicality, and that’s kind of what they have been missing. With his age, you expect him to get better and better. In a struggling side he was kind of a one-man wrecking ball up top, scored plenty of goals.
“If he can handle the pressure that comes with playing for Chelsea, I think he has got a great chance of doing that [emulating Premier League champions Drogba and Costa] . The price is really good. Him going somewhere where the manager clearly knows him very well from Manchester City, Cole Palmer will be a supply line from the gods, so Delap should settle in quickly and could be the man.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Palmer’s creativity should help to keep the goals ticking over for Delap, with Dorigo adding when asked if Chelsea’s new No.10 can become Eden Hazard-esque for the Blues as he enters world-class territory: “The only way he can do that is by producing performances week in, week out and being the difference. If you look back at last season, the first third of the season was incredible, he was the man, of that there is no doubt. Then, injuries affected his form a little bit.
“Again, I keep going back to the age of this Chelsea team, Delap is 22, Palmer 23, you have got a lot of years there to get better and better. He’s got ability, of that there is no doubt, we have seen the goals that he can score as well. When he needed to produce, the Conference League final, he comes up with an incredible assist. When he matures, even more as the years go by, I think he will get better and better.”
Cole Palmer Chelsea 2025 FIFA Club World CupGetty
WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
Chelsea, who won the Conference League last season and will be gracing the Champions League in 2025-26, are currently readying themselves for a Club World Cup quarter-final clash with Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday.