Chelsea signed Liam Delap last summer but the striker has failed to deliver in his debut year with his long-term future at Stamford Bridge now in question
Xabi Alonso has been urged to get sell Liam Delap at Chelsea with the striker described as a “Championship player trying to cut it”.
The former Ipswich Town man has only had the one year at Stamford Bridge and that included an injury which robbed him of several weeks. Either side of that, though, he struggled to produce and found the net just twice.
Last summer Chelsea beat Manchester United and Newcastle to the £30million signing of Delap, who had been a shining light in an Ipswich team that suffered relegation.
Former Blues midfielder Andy Townsend admits the move simply hasn’t worked out with Delap struggling to make the step up and claims he’s looking like a second tier player attempting to prove himself.
Townsend told OLBG : “Liam at Chelsea, when compared to Ipswich, he’s always looked a little inhibited. Is it the way the team plays, or is it just being a higher-profile player now at a bigger club?
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“Whenever he’s come on as a sub, he’s rarely had an impact. I’ve very rarely seen anything where I’ve thought, ‘Wow, now I can see what Chelsea have invested in.’ I just haven’t seen anything from him yet, to be honest. But that happens, he’s not the first striker to go to a club where it doesn’t work out.
He also claimed: “He’s looked like a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team and he’s looked awkward and it hasn’t just looked like it’s the right sort of fit.”
Chelsea also signed Joao Pedro from Brighton last summer and the Brazilian quickly established himself as the team’s first choice striker. Alonso could yet look to bring in his own man to lead the line, which would further push Delap down the order with the team set to play with just one striker.
Everton have been reported as a potential destination and Townsend insists Delap, who is still only 23 and can prove himsef in the top flight, may be best off seeking pastures new.
He added: “If I was him, I would be pushing to get away from Chelsea because if he’s not gonna play, you know, you can only sit on a bench for so long before too much of your game starts to disappear.”
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