Pat Nevin believes Chelsea will look to sell Liam Delap this summer \u2013 and tipped one Premier League rival because the \u2018right fit\u2019 for the English striker.<\/p>\n
Delap signed for Chelsea for \u00a330million\u00a0last summer, turning down approaches from Manchester United to maneuver to Stamford Bridge after a powerful first campaign in the highest flight with Ipswich Town.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, his first season with the Blues has not gone based on plan, with injuries and the shape of fellow summer signing Joao Pedro contributing to a scarcity of normal minutes.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old has scored only one goal in his 22 league appearances this season, with the arrival of Liam Rosenior, who he thrived under at Hull, yet to revitalise Delap\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\n
Nicolas Jackson\u2019s likely return\u00a0from an unsuccessful loan spell at Bayern Munich will provide further competition for minutes next season, while the Blues have also been\u00a0linked with an audacious bid for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.<\/p>\n
And with that in mind, former Chelsea winger Nevin believes Delap could well be heading for the exit this summer, only one 12 months after he joined the club.<\/p>\n
\u2018The numbers aren\u2019t looking great when it comes to goals scored and assists and things like that, and so they\u2019re trying to search out different positions for him, playing him barely wider than you’ll normally when he’s brought on,\u2019 he told talkSPORTBET Casino<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018I actually like him as a player. I’d love him on my team. After I was a player, I\u2019d love a player to hit balls into space for.<\/p>\n \u2018Because he runs, and he stretches teams, and makes more room for yourself should you\u2019re a creative midfielder. And I believe the Chelsea fans have gotten quite a lot of time for him because he works hard.<\/p>\n \u2018You look back on the likes of Timo Werner, Chelsea fans were all right with him because he worked for them. He is probably not the perfect player on this planet sometimes. <\/p>\n \u2018I believe Liam is a greater all-round player than Timo Werner because there\u2019s more technical stuff to his game. He\u2019s also shown that he can rating at this level.<\/p>\n \u2018Chelsea and him, the flawed move? It would actually be the case now. But there are some others coming in, you’re thinking that of Nicolas Jackson coming back, so there’s a pressure.<\/p>\n \u2018Chelsea will move in that position in the summertime, they\u2019ll do something, and so they\u2019ll adapt, and who knows what’s going to occur with Chelsea in the summertime. But definitely that centre-forward position is something to have a look at.\u2019<\/p>\n Despite flattering to deceive this season, Delap\u2019s age and profile will certainly be a beautiful proposition to several clubs on the lookout for a number nine this summer.<\/p>\n And Nevin wonders whether Delap might follow the lead of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who left Chelsea last summer and has subsequently flourished under the watchful eye of David Moyes.<\/p>\n \u2018Delap jogs my memory of Conor Gallagher and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Various kinds of players, but an analogous situation,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n \u2018Great player, positive player, but you\u2019re not in the appropriate place. So Kiernan goes as much as Everton, and it’s great and it is precisely what he wants and wishes.<\/p>\n \u2018Everton need a centre forward, don\u2019t they? So, in my dream scenario, Liam strikes me as the appropriate fit for somebody like Everton.<\/p>\n \u2018Looking forward, I don\u2019t think it might hurt Chelsea, I don\u2019t think it might hurt Everton in any way, and I don\u2019t think it might hurt Delap if he did move to Everton after which was allowed to flourish. I\u2019m only saying that since it\u2019s what I need, because I need Everton to do well.\u2019<\/p>\n For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Follow Metro Sport for the most recent news on ![\"Chelsea](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2257815929.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594\")
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