Chelsea have confirmed striker Liam Delap has left the club to join Nottingham Forest after a season at Stamford Bridge
Liam Delap of Chelsea during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 16, 2026 in London, England
Liam Delap has officially left Chelsea(Image: Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Liam Delap has left Chelsea and joined Nottingham Forest in a £45million deal, it has been announced. The 23-year-old striker joined the Blues for £30million from Ipswich last summer but failed to nail down a regular starting spot.
A mixture of injury and inconsistent performances did not help the Englishman, who was told by Xabi Alonso earlier this window that he was not part of his plans for the 2026/27 season. Delap, who was not named in the matchday squad for Monday night's 3-2 win at Fulham, scored two goals in 41 appearances for Chelsea last campaign.
Announcing his departure on Thursday, Chelsea said in a statement: "Liam Delap has today completed a permanent transfer to Nottingham Forest. The striker arrived at Stamford Bridge last June and was a member of our victorious FIFA Club World Cup squad that summer. He featured in six of our seven games and started in four.
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"Last season, Delap played 41 times for us across four different competitions, netting against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and Fulham away from home. We would like to wish Liam well in the next chapter of his career."
After the move to Forest was confirmed, Delap said: “I really can’t wait to get started, this is a massive club with a big history. I spoke to the manager and I like his way, I think he can be the one to really help me develop and make that next step and hopefully I can bring goals here.
“I can’t wait to hear the noise at The City Ground and have the fans on my side because I know how loud and important they are. As a team we can build something really strong and the main aim is to challenge and be a top club in the Premier League.”
In a goodbye message to Chelsea posted on social media, the striker said: "I want to thank everyone at Chelsea for the past season, met some great people here. Wishing the club all the best for the campaign ahead."
A number of Delap's now former teammates took to the comments on his Instagram post to react to the news. Cole Palmer wrote: "Good luck bro." Reece James said: "Good luck brother." Morgan Rogers, Jorrel Hato and young goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe also left comments on the post.