Everton tried to sign Liam Delap from Ispwich Town last year but he chose to join Chelsea instead
Everton should go back in for Liam Delap at the end of the season after missing out on the striker to Chelsea last summer.
That’s the view of Pat Nevin, who moved from Chelsea to Everton himself in 1988, albeit in rather different circumstances. The Londoners had just gone down from the top flight when the winger swapped Stamford Bridge for Goodison Park, with the Blues having lifted a second League Championship in three seasons the previous year.
With Delap having a relegation release clause at Ipswich Town, David Moyes made the unusual step of publicly declaring his interest in the England Under-21 international. Although the player was ultimately lured to the capital by the opportunity to play in the FIFA Club World Cup, Champions League and – at the time – work under his former Manchester City youth coach Enzo Maresca, the ECHO understands Delap, who added his signature to the wall at 37 Goodison Road, following Ipswich Town’s 2-2 draw in Everton’s penultimate fixture at Goodison Park, and his entourage, were both still hugely impressed with Moyes and his sales pitch.
Despite netting a dozen Premier League goals for the Suffolk outfit as they dropped straight back into the Championship, Delap has only struck once in the competition this term for Chelsea and his overall record is two goals from 27 matches in all competitions. Nevin, who played 150 games for Everton, scoring 21 goals, reckons the Winchester-born star would do well to head to Hill Dickinson Stadium after all.
The former Scotland international told talkSPORT BET Casino: “It’s stepping stones for Liam Delap. The numbers aren’t looking great in terms of goals scored and assists and things like that, and they’re trying to find different positions for him, playing him slightly wider than you would normally when he is brought on.
“I really like him as a player, I would love him on my team. When I was a player, I’d love a player to hit balls into space for.
“Because he runs, and he stretches teams, and makes more space for yourself if you’re a creative midfielder. And I think the Chelsea fans have got a lot of time for him because he works hard.
“You look back at the likes of Timo Werner, Chelsea fans were all right with him because he worked for them. He may not be the best player in the world sometimes.
“I think Liam is a better all-round player than Timo Werner because there’s more technical stuff to his game. He’s also shown that he can score at this level.
“Chelsea and him, the wrong move? It might actually be the case now but there are some others coming in, you think of Nicolas Jackson coming back, so there is a pressure.
“Chelsea will move in that position in the summer, they’ll do something, and they’ll adapt, and who knows what will happen with Chelsea in the summer. But certainly that centre-forward position is something to look at because Joao Pedro is not a problem, he’s great but you’d rather have him one behind as one of the tens.
“So, Delap reminds me of Conor Gallagher and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Different types of players, but a similar situation.
“Great player, fine player, but you’re not in the right place. So, Kiernan goes up to Everton, and it is great and it is exactly what he wants and needs.
“Everton need a centre forward, don’t they? So, in my dream scenario, Liam strikes me as the right fit for someone like Everton.
“Looking forward, I don’t think it would hurt Chelsea, I don’t think it would hurt Everton in any way, and I don’t think it would hurt Delap if he did move to Everton and then was allowed to flourish. I’m only saying that because it’s what I want, because I want Everton to do well.”
Meanwhile, Nevin has hailed Jordan Pickford as his favourite goalkeeper, but he doesn’t ever imagine the England number one, who penned a new four-year contract at Everton in October, moving in the opposite direction to Chelsea. The 62-year-old said: “Jordan Pickford at Chelsea? Jordan Pickford does it every week.
“I watch him every game. Jordan Pickford is fantastic, even though there are great goalkeepers around, he’s my favourite.
“Would Chelsea go for a keeper at that age? No, they wouldn’t, they just don’t do it.
“That’s not their model. I’d be shocked if they went that way now.
“For Robert Sanchez, it’s a shame though, because with a lot of the stuff such as playing out from the back, he’s getting a lot of stick and it looked very edgy in the game against Arsenal. But he’s not doing it off his own back, he’s been told to do this.”