Everton wanted to sign Liam Delap over the summer, and the striker has yet to really catch fire at Chelsea.
David Moyes suffered plenty of frustration during the summer transfer window as Everton chased new signings.
The Scot had plenty of targets in mind, but many of them slipped through the net.
For example, Kenny Tete even agreed to join Everton before pulling a U-turn and staying at Fulham.
Tete was far from the only target Everton failed to sign, with striker Liam Delap also snubbing the Toffees.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Liam Delap’s struggles since rejecting Everton
Delap impressed for Ipswich Town last season, hitting 12 goals in 37 Premier League games for the Tractor Boys.
The 22-year-old was a wanted man, and Moyes spoke to Delap about a move to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Moyes told The Guardian that he was pessimistic about Everton’s chances of winning the race, and Delap signed for Chelsea instead.
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This season hasn’t really kicked off for Delap, though.
Delap has started only two Premier League games this season, having picked up a hamstring injury in August.
The striker made his comeback in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers – but it didn’t go to plan.
Delap played just 25 minutes as he picked up two yellow cards to mark his return with a silly red card.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca called Delap’s red card ‘stupid’ and suggested that he was playing for himself and not anybody else around him, as quoted by BBC Sport.
Delap seemingly has some making up to do, and he can’t afford many more setbacks in his Chelsea career.
Everton should continue to eye Liam Delap
Moyes will have been disappointed to miss out on Delap.
A big, strong striker with pace and the ability to drive at defenders with the ball at his feet, Delap could have been the ideal man to lead Everton’s attack.
Delap is looking to put a slow start at Chelsea behind him, but Everton would be wise to keep tabs on his situation.
Chelsea’s rather scattergun approach in the transfer market means players come and go with regularity.
The likes of Christopher Nkunku, Lesley Ugochukwu, Djorde Petrovic, Renato Veiga and Joao Felix were all signed and offloaded within two years.
The same goes for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who joined Everton after just one year at Chelsea.
Delap has real potential, but we cannot rule out the possibility of Chelsea cashing in on him in 2026 or 2027 – especially if he can’t recover from this slow start.
Moyes and Everton need to be in the mix if that situation does arise, with the Toffees still searching for a striker to depend on.