Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick in Chelsea's 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers
Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick in Chelsea's 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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For an hour in Sydney, Liam Delap was one of just a few established Chelsea players in a youthful team for the Blues' latest pre-season commitment.
When Delap left the field with Xabi Alonso's side 3-2 down, not only had he been outshone by a handful of Chelsea's army of teenage prodigies, but his replacement, Joao Pedro, emphasised why he is Chelsea's main man up front.
No sooner had he taken to the pitch, he had created the equalising goal for Jamie Gittens with some fine work. And the Brazilian then plundered the most rapid of hat-tricks in the dying embers of the game to ensure the Blues came out on top in a topsy-turvey game which finished 6-4.
In reality, there are plenty of reasons why Delap is likely to be among a number of players offloaded by Chelsea this summer, just 12 months after he was persuaded to pick the Blues ahead of numerous other top-flight suitors.
It's a transfer that just hasn't worked out for either of the parties involved. And a parting of the ways probably benefits everyone, too.
In fairness to Delap, he is far from the only Chelsea signing of the Blue Co era to have been scrutinised. In fact, while some have scoffed at the idea of adding a couple of elder statesman to the squad in the form of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, those moves, plus the failed pursuit of Granit Xhaka earlier in the summer, have started to convince people that the Blues have rediscovered their sanity in the transfer market.
At 35, Welbeck certainly isn't coming in to lead the line for 38 games in the Premier League with all hopes of a title challenge pinned upon him. But he will be a very capable, and shrewd, deputy to Chelsea's first-choice No 9 in Pedro. And that means departures will be needed.
Where that leaves Delap, largely anonymous and goalless in an entertaining if messy goalfest here, is effectively no man's land.
Bar a driving run and wild strike towards the end of the first half, Delap's impact was minimal and, as mentioned, it was some of his younger colleagues who really seized the opportunity to make an impression on their new manager. Dastan Satpayev, who does not officially join Chelsea until next month, gave Chelsea the lead with a neat finish after being played in. And it was 17-year-old Reggie Walsh who stole the show from midfield in the first half.
Liam Delap started the match up front for Chelsea
Liam Delap started the match up front for Chelsea but failed to impress with his future up in the air(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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With a deal for Welbeck advancing at speed, if ever there was a time for Delap to catch the eye, this was probably it. It's hard to see how he fits in with him, Pedro and Strasbourg's Emmanuel Emegha all vying for minutes this season.
Delap feels like the odd man out. Perhaps his selection here emphasised that; it wouldn't be a complete shock if he or the two other players with senior appearances he started with, Tosin Adarabioyo and Josh Acheampong were not involved in Alonso's immediate first-team plans, though the latter surely would not be offloaded permanently as he surely has a future at Stamford Bridge.
For Delap, the writing was already on the wall. And nothing he did in Sydney is likely to change that.