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Pundit Pat Nevin has opened up and tipped Chelsea striker Liam Delap to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and possibly join Premier League rivals Everton.
Nevin, speaking this week about Chelsea’s evolving forward line, suggested that Delap may seek a fresh start away from Stamford Bridge after struggling to secure regular first-team minutes.
The 21-year-old striker, who joined CHELSEA after departing Ipswich, has spent much of the campaign sitting on the bench and waiting for his chances, as his 1 goal this season has simply not been good enough for a player of his quality.
Chelsea’s forward department has been in flux, with heavy competition for central attacking roles and a tactical reshuffle under the current coaching setup. Delap, while admired for his physicality, work rate and direct running, has found opportunities limited. Nevin believes that situation may not change significantly next season, prompting talk of a permanent exit.
Nevin wonders whether Delap might follow the lead of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who left Chelsea last summer and has subsequently flourished under the watchful eye of David Moyes: ‘Delap reminds me of Conor Gallagher and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Different types of players, but a similar situation,’ he added.
‘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.’
Should Delap leave Chelsea?
The lad is brilliant, there is no doubt about that. but he is just not ready to lead this attack and the longer he stays, the more he will struggle to make an impact because of all the media headlines surrounding his name.
We dont want him to leave, but would understand if he does go that is for sure.
CHELSEA TOLD TO SIGN TRAFFORD
Glen Johnson has backed Chelsea to make a move to replace Robert Sanchez with Manchester City misfit James Trafford, who has been tipped to leave Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer
Sánchez joined CHELSEA from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023 and has been used regularly as the club’s number one. However, his performances have occasionally come under scrutiny during a period in which Chelsea have struggled for consistency.
That has led to all sorts of speculation about the stars future at the club and whether Chelsea will sign a new stopper in the summer, and although former Chelsea defender Johnson believes Sanchez’s struggles have been overplayed, he has told his former club to make a move for James Trafford.
‘It’s very hard because form can change so quickly,’ he told Boyle Sports. ‘There have been times where Robert Sanchez has saved Chelsea in games and made incredible saves, but he does have that mistake in him.
‘As we know, if the keeper makes a mistake, it usually, nine times out of ten, results in a goal. So it can be literally game-changing. But I don’t think he’s been bad enough to say, ‘Right, you have to replace him.’ Because when he’s in form, I think he’s been fantastic.
‘He just needs to bounce back now and regain his confidence. Then I think he’s absolutely fine. He’s not bad enough to think he’s a must-replace player.’
‘James Trafford to CHELSEA?’ pondered Johnson. ‘It worked with Cole Palmer, didn’t it?
‘Even that one at the time was a surprise to me, because I’ve never really seen him play before, to be honest. And the same with the goalkeeper, I’ve not seen him play.
‘But in terms of could it come off? Absolutely it can. It’d be unlikely, I guess, because it’s a big role to be the number one goalkeeper at Chelsea. You normally need a lot of experience, and you can only get experience by gaining experience, obviously.
‘But to risk it with a youngster like that, it could be risky.
‘Even if he was to sign and do a couple of years behind a number one and learn the club and learn everything that way, then of course in three years time or something, then he could easily be the main man.’
CHELSEA HELD LUIS TALKS
Former Blues star Filipe Luis held talks with ***CHELSEA***’s ownership group before he was sacked by Flamengo this week after their latest 8-0 win, according to reports in Brazil.
In what turned out to be his final game in charge, Luis’ Flamengo side sealed an 8-0 win against Madureira to reach the final of the Carioca where they will face Fluminense, but Flamengo president, Luiz Eduardo Baptista opted to sack Luis in the early hours of Tuesday morning following the game.
UOL Esporte’s Rodrigo Mattos said: ‘What wasn’t known, and which is information circulating within Flamengo’s board now, is that two weeks ago Bap discovered that Filipe had been negotiating with Chelsea in the meantime.
‘He negotiated with CHELSEA, possibly to work there for the Chelsea group, and during this negotiation, he didn’t speak to Flamengo for about three days.
‘At a certain point, Filipe discovers that – and this is the version within Flamengo, I repeat, I haven’t had time to speak with sources close to Filipe yet – it’s not for Chelsea, but for Strasbourg, which is the club in the group, and upon discovering this, he returns to the negotiating table with Flamengo.
‘I think it’s normal for him to have negotiations with another club to eventually switch clubs. But Bap discovered this two weeks ago, felt deceived, and the relationship, which already had cracks, became even more turbulent, which generates very little patience for bad results.’
Meanwhile, in an audio recording circulating among Flamengo’s hierarchy, which was leaked to the media in Brazil, Baptista explained the reasons behind the decision to sack Luis.
‘What’s being said really happened, but it’s not the main reason. Everyone has the right to talk and evaluate what’s best for themselves. I have no doubt that this happens not only with Filipe, but with other guys as well,’ Baptista said in the recording.
‘In my view, it’s like this: when you get on the wrong train in life, you know what you have to do? Get off at the first possible station and go back. My unwavering commitment is to the institution, to Flamengo.
‘When I don’t believe that what’s being done will take Flamengo to where we want it to be, I have to act. That’s exactly what I did. I’m intervening fundamentally because I believe that, considering everything that was being done, we weren’t going in the direction I consider appropriate for the institution.’
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