Gabby Agbonlahor believes Liam Delap’s move to Chelsea is ‘not working’ and suggested the striker looks ‘lost’ because the arrival of Liam Rosenior.
Delap turned down an approach from Manchester United to sign for Chelsea for £30million last summer, but has endured a difficult begin to life at Stamford Bridge.
The English striker has scored two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions, with injuries and the shape of Joao Pedro limiting his game time even further this season.
Rosenior’s arrival has not yet proved a turning point for Delap’s fortunes at Chelsea, and the 22-year-old had a very frustrating night on Tuesday because the Blues were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Arsenal.
Delap often found himself taking on a position without any consideration makeshift winger in Rosenior’s three-at-the-back system, but found it exertions up against Piero Hincapie before being replaced on the hour mark.
Truth be told, it was a difficult night for all of Chelsea’s attackers, but former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor believes that Delap’s display was of particular concern.
Analysing Delap’s performance on Tuesday, Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: ‘What I didn’t understand was Liam Delap on the appropriate.
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‘I could play on the wing because I used to be quick but when one kind of striker couldn’t play on the wing it’s Liam Delap.
‘He looked lost. He got the ball, he tried to tackle Hincapie, and lost it each time.’
Delap made the move to Chelsea after only one season within the English top-flight with Ipswich Town, but Agbonlahor believes that may need proved a misstep.
‘No, this isn’t working,’ he added. ‘I said when he joined Chelsea that I believed he should hav gone to a team like Everton.
‘Develop there for a few years after which make the large move to top-six side. I feel the jump from Ipswich to Chelsea was an excessive amount of.
‘After I take a look at him as a striker, I like him – he can delay the ball well, he’s a great finisher, but he just doesn’t look sharp enough for the highest level of the Premier League.
‘Someone like [Victor] Osimhen was the striker they need to have gone out and got.’
Meanwhile, former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit suggested that Delap is not going to be ‘blissful’ with Rosenior after being shunted out onto the appropriate wing against Arsenal.
‘Liam Delap was not blissful with starting on the appropriate wing against Arsenal,’ he told Gambling Insider. ‘It’s clear that Liam Rosenior played him there so that they could launch long balls to him, but he looked totally misplaced.
‘Should you get the ball into the box, then Delap will do his best to get on the tip of it, but once you’re asking him to drop deeper into midfield or out wide, then it’s a unique story.
‘It’s a pity that Delap didn’t play closer to Joao Pedro, since the Brazilian looked all on his own up front. I feel like that might have helped each players in the event that they began in attack together.
‘I understand why Rosenior arrange like that, but when it got here to Chelsea going for it and attempting to attack Arsenal, they couldn’t create anything they usually lost the tie.’
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