Will Liam Delap be an instant success at Chelsea?

Chelsea have announced the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town on a six-year deal, having triggered his £30 million release clause.

Here, we look at the 22-year-old’s footballing journey so far, his style of play, how he compares to the Blues’ current leading striker, and whether he can succeed at Stamford Bridge.

Club career and playing style

Delap joined the Manchester City academy in 2019 from Derby County, where he had been since the age of six. He has represented England at all youth levels—from U16 to U21—and made two Premier League appearances for the Cityzens, one each in 2020/21 and 2021/22. 

In July last year, Delap joined then newly promoted Ipswich Town for a fee of up to £20 million on a five-year deal. He went on to have an impressive debut season with the Tractor Boys despite their relegation from the English top flight, bagging 12 goals and two assists in 37 league appearances. 

Delap’s impressive performances led to many top Premier League clubs taking an interest in his services, with Chelsea and Manchester United leading the chase. In the end, it was the West London outfit who managed to secure his signature. 

Delap is a strong, fast, and agile forward known for his aerial dominance, hold-up play, ball retention and carrying abilities, and clinical finishing. He is great in transitions, can create chances for himself and his teammates, and is capable of finishing with both his head and feet. He is not one to shy away from duels, and he also tracks back to tackle, intercept, and regain possession.

How Liam Delap compares to Nicolas Jackson

At Chelsea, Delap will fight for a place in the starting lineup with their other out-and-out forward, Nicolas Jackson.

Let’s take a look at the two forwards’ numbers from the PL season gone by. 

As we look at these numbers, we should also bear in mind the distinctive styles of football both Ipswich Town and Chelsea played last season. While Ipswich played a more direct brand of football, playing long balls forward in the hope of finding their striker, Chelsea built from the back and played more passes through the midfield.

Jackson does have better numbers, but that is also down to the fact that he played in a far superior team at Chelsea compared to Delap at Ipswich. Also, the Senegal international’s numbers have dipped: while he scored 14 goals with a cumulative xG of 18.6 last term, this season he registered 10 goals with a cumulative xG of 12.3. While Delap’s cumulative xG is still behind at 9.3, his shot conversion rate is better than Jackson’s (17.7% compared to 13.2%).

As for touches in the opposition box, Jackson has far superior numbers than Delap, but that can also be attributed to the teams’ predicaments and styles, suggesting things should improve for Delap at Chelsea. However, it’s evident that Jackson remains the better option up top compared to the Englishman.

Can he deliver?

Given they already have Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, it was surprising that Chelsea went for another striker. That said, with Nkunku looking to depart Stamford Bridge this summer, and the club also strongly linked to Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike, it looks like Chelsea are keen to bolster their options up front in order to prepare for life in the Champions League.

As for Delap, as good as he has been in a transition-first setup, we haven’t yet seen how well he’ll cope when the ball is played through the middle. One positive for him, however, is that he has already worked with Enzo Maresca—the Italian coached him at Manchester City’s U21 team. Hence, one can assume the Chelsea boss gave considerable thought before signing Delap.

I do think Delap can develop further in this Chelsea side alongside other young players in the squad. His off-the-ball work is exceptional, as he gets into duels, presses opposition players, and regains possession. However, I don’t think he is a starting option for Maresca yet; that will still be Jackson. If they do get Ekitike, Delap will fall further down the pecking order. Maresca may use Delap in domestic cup competitions and situations requiring a more direct approach and a forward capable of hold-up play.

Even though Delap has potential, I don’t believe he is the finished article capable of shouldering the responsibility of being Chelsea’s starting striker from the outset. He could be a useful squad option and chip in with important goals, but it’s unlikely he will displace Jackson from the starting line-up straight away.

While Delap’s talent is undeniable, he needs time and experience to improve, so it’s unlikely he will be an instant success at Chelsea.