The rise of Liam Delap: Being described as a ‘special talent’ by Pep Guardiola, Championship challenges and Chelsea winning the chase for his signature | OneFootball

Liam Delap is set to complete his move from Ipswich to Chelsea in a £30m deal.

The former Manchester City youngster has enjoyed a phenomenal rise, from frustrating loan spells away from City to becoming one of the most in demand youngsters in world football after a fine season at Ipswich.

Delap became a household name this past season, scoring 12 Premier League goals for the Tractor Boys despite playing in a team which was relegated.

But it has not been a straightforward journey to the top. We’ve had a look back at Delap’s rise…

Highly rated at Manchester City

Liam Delap at Manchester City (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Delap was highly rated as a youngster in City’s ranks. He scored 24 goals in 20 games for City’s youth team in the Premier League 2 during the 2020/21 campaign, helping his side to cruise to the title, finishing a whopping 14 points ahead of closest rivals Chelsea.

That was the first of four Premier League 2 titles that City won on the spin. His coach that season? The now Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca. Maresca’s side went on a 17-game unbeaten run to complete the season as Delap played a key part in their title triumph.

Taste of first-team action

The following season would see Delap get a taste of first-team action with Manchester City, coming on as a substitute in the Champions League round of 16 win over Sporting, as well as appearances in the Premier League and the FA Cup, while also featuring for the youth team.

Speaking back in 2022 about Delap’s potential, Man City boss Pep Guardiola said: “He grew up a lot last season, especially under Enzo Maresca who helped him a lot to develop.

“He’s a type of striker that we don’t have. He’s a killer. He’s a typical British striker and an incredible finisher. The only problem we had this season was injury, after injury, after injury. He struggled a lot a lot with his ankles and was not fit.

“But he has special quality.”

Loan move to Stoke

Liam Delap at Stoke City (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Delap’s first proper taste of first team action came the year after, however, with a loan move to his father Rory’s former club Stoke City.

It was a challenging time for the then 19-year-old, however, scoring just three goals for the club before his loan spell was cut short and he instead joined Preston North End on loan for the rest of the campaign.

Explaining his early departure from the club, the then Stoke boss Alex Neil said: “Liam is a young lad, he’s 19, he played 23 times for us. We’ve only had 26 games. He’s had a lot of minutes and I’m pretty sure that he’ll go on and he’ll become a really good player. It’s his first loan. We wish him well. We exchanged texts yesterday. I’m sure he’ll do well wherever he goes.”

He would not fare better at Preston, however, managing just one goal for the club in what was a tough start to life in senior football.

Signs of promise at Hull City

Liam Delap at Hull City (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBALL

Keen to get game time and not deterred by his experiences in the Championship, however, Delap headed to Hull City in the hope of proving himself.

The 2023/24 campaign proved to be a better one for Delap, who scored eight goals in 31 league games before having season disrupted by a bad knee injury which kept him out for three months.

The then Hull manager, Liam Rosenior, who is now the boss at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, was a huge admirer of Delap, saying: “I think Liam’s consistency is improving as well. He’s getting better and better and better in his time with us and he’s going to be a huge threat for us for the rest of the season.

“He can play anywhere on the pitch, he’s that good. He’s naturally a number nine. He’s a number nine with a lot of technical and physical capabilities and speed.”

Announcing himself at Ipswich

Delap’s spell at Hull and the glimpses of potential he had showed in his career up until that point convinced newly promoted Ipswich that he was the man to score the goals to fire them to Premier League survival, paying £20m for the Man City forward.

It did not pan out quite like that, but through no fault of Delap. He netted 12 Premier League goals in 37 league games and won plenty of plaudits for his overall level of performance too.

Speaking ahead of his expected departure, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna backed Delap to play for any club in the world. “I don’t think there’s many clubs in the world who wouldn’t want to have him,” he said. “So I think it’s more likely than not that he’ll move on.

“I’ve said many times, he’s still young. He still has room to grow, to be more consistent, to round off his game. But in terms of attributes, I think he’s as good as what there is out there anywhere in the world.”

And it appears Chelsea have won the race for his signature. Can he step up once again and become one of the world’s top strikers?