Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)placeholder image
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Chelsea won the race to sign Liam Delap ahead of Everton in the summer transfer window.
The Toffees were keen on signing the striker in the summer transfer window. Delap scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for Ipswich Town, who were relegated from the Premier League last season. He had a £30 million release clause in his contract and attracted interest from several clubs.
Everton held talks with Delap, while Newcastle United were keen but he opted for Chelsea. The 23-year-old has had his struggles at Stamford Bridge so far and netted just twice in 23 games.
Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher believes that Delap took too big of a leap in his career and would have been afforded time at Everton. The former Liverpool defender said: “It was a bad move. I just think young players when they’re on a journey getting better, this idea...the jump from Ipswich to Chelsea is too big. You need something in the middle.
“Playing centre-forward for Everton every game and knowing even if you have a few bad games or you’re injured, you’ll play again. He’s never sure if he’s going to play [at Chelsea]. Even if he starts, he’s going to come off. Sometimes the jump is too big and you need that bit in the middle.”
Ex-Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor recently admitted that he feels Delap would have been better at Everton. Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: “I said when he joined Chelsea that I thought he should have gone to a team like Everton.
“Develop there for a couple of years and then make the big move to a top-six side. I think the jump from Ipswich to Chelsea was too much.
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