David Moyes and Everton have been linked with a move for Liam Delap
David Moyes and Everton have been linked with a move for Liam Delap
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With Everton being told by Chelsea to shell out £40million if they wish to prise Liam Delap from Stamford Bridge, a prolific alternative has been suggested by a former Premier League star.
Delap netted just once in the Premier League in 2025/26, and twice in 41 matches in all competitions after joining Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer. But top brass at the Stamford Bridge are still demanding a profit if they were to let the 23-year-old go this summer, with Everton understood to be potential suitors, along with Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
That price tag would make Delap the most expensive striker in the club’s history. But according to Premier League legend Shay Given, an alternative transfer option could be Troy Parrott, the Republic of Ireland international who scored 37 times for club and country last term.
“Troy Parrott has been brilliant for AZ Alkmaar hasn’t he? I think he is well-suited to joining a top team back in England or in Europe because as he’s said himself, he's more suited to playing in a team that’s a bit more technical.
“At Tottenham Hotspur he was loaned out to different Championship clubs and the directness of that level with the long balls and physical battles didn’t suit him. That’s why he bobbed about a bit struggling to find a home.
“He’s found that now in the Dutch league because it is very technical and he’s very good at dropping back into pockets of space, getting the ball wide and getting into the box. The way David Moyes is developing this Everton team, Everton wouldn’t be the worst shout for him, actually."
Troy Parrott has made a big impression in Holland
Troy Parrott has made a big impression in Holland(Image: MTB/MB Media/Getty Images)
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Given, speaking courtesy of BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest Premier League odds, added: “He just doesn’t suit a team that is going to play direct football, and it feels like in the Premier League there are fewer and fewer teams who aren’t moving in that direction, if I’m being honest with you.
“Troy is a player someone needs to take a punt on because he’s proved himself for club and country now with how important he has been, especially for the boys in green. He scored five goals in two games in that spree he had to get us close to the World Cup?
“It was just a phenomenal time for him and I’m sure clubs will be looking at what he can bring because he has big things ahead of him in his future.
“Some big clubs might be trying to sign him because his style of play does lend itself to playing at a higher level, but I don’t know what the fee will be. I do just hope he moves on to be honest, and hopefully there are no AZ fans reading this.
“I think he’s done his bit there, he’s played well, and now it feels like it’s time to go and take that next step again and I hope that that leads him back to the Premier League both for himself and for Irish fans as well.”
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