Former Chelsea striker BACKS new signing Delap to thrive under the pressure at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has backed the club’s new signing Liam Delap to thrive under the pressure of being handed the number nine shirt.

Delap, signed from Ipswich in a £30m deal earlier this month, has taken hold of the nine jersey despite its recent chequered past, with many big names failing to live up to their billing.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Torres and Radamel Falcao are just a few names who’ve struggled at Stamford Bridge, but Giroud believes Delap should relish the attention that comes with leading the line for Chelsea.

Ahead of LAFC’s Club World Cup opener against his former employers, Giroud said: “When I signed for AC Milan, Paolo Maldini asked me: ‘Are you sure about the number nine because it’s kind of cursed.’

“I said it’s not the number I have on my back which will make me good and score goals. I showed him there was no curse because I did well.

“Striker is the best position in football – but it is very demanding. You can be under the spotlight when things go really well, but you are the first on the frontline when you are not scoring goals.

Giroud won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup during his three years in west London and the Frenchman has full belief in Chelsea’s latest acquisition, with the Blues set to return to Europe’s elite club competition next season.

“You have to show some character and strength mentality-wise. You need to be strong in your head and even in tough moments, stay confident and keep working hard,” he added.

“There are ups and downs and you need to be ready for that. If he’s got a good mentality, and I think he’s very talented, he’ll be fine.”

Chelsea’s Club World Cup opener on Monday evening will be shown for free on Channel 5 in the UK.