Why Chelsea should lead race for Liam Delap after changing transfer plans | OneFootball

A stunning individual display has further grown a long list of admirers

There was an almost sympathetic smile on the face of Enzo Maresca as he explained why his two promising young centre-backs left Portman Road last night with empty pockets and no dinner money.

“This is Liam,” Maresca said of the brilliant, bullying force that had led Ipswich Town to their first home win of the season, earning and scoring an early penalty, then brilliantly laying on the clinching goal for former Cobham academy boy Omari Hutchinson.

Liam Delay scored one and created another against Chelsea

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Maresca is on first-name terms Delap from his time coaching the son of the Premier League’s great ball-chucker in the Manchester City academy. Even before this game, he had touted the 21-year-old as a player with a big future for England. But how about for Chelsea, too?

Heading into the January transfer window, Chelsea’s striking needs have changed from when the summer’s shut. Then, it was all about a failed move for Victor Osimhen and the assumption was that the Blues would move again midseason for a truly elite centre-forward.

Nicolas Jackson’s form, though, means no striker is expected to be signed next month, providing the club can keep hold of Christopher Nkunku, whose dozen goals across competitions have made him a more than capable deputy.

Nkunku clearly is not delighted with that role and Maresca has suggested more than once that he does not see the Frenchman as an out-and-out No9 anyway. But even come the summer, will Chelsea need to make the marquee centre-forward addition that was their aim six months ago? They may do so anyway, but it would be harsh on Jackson.

Perhaps the more reasonable move would be for a player of similar profile to the Senegalese, a young forward with plenty of upside to provide competition. Delap fits the bill. He is similar enough in style to Jackson - physical, hard-pressing - to slot into Maresca’s system (something Nkunku hasn’t quite managed at No9) but different enough to diversify Chelsea’s threat. A relationship with Palmer from their City days - highlighted when Chelsea’s playmaker told Filip Jorgensen which way to dive for Delap’s spot-kick - can’t hurt either.

I’ve been saying it to people around the club, [Liam] is improving and is a different beast to what he was in July

Kieran McKenna

Because make no mistake about it, with or without Ipswich, Delap will be in the Premier League next season. Signed from City in the summer in a £20million deal, the Tractor Boys stand to at least double their money within 12 months should they go straight back down, though with him in their side that is no guarantee.

Last night’s win puts Kieran McKenna’s side back within a point of safety and a Wolves outfit who may be about to lose their best player to a significant ban. Everton are only a point further up the road, unlikely to take comfort from their game in hand being against Liverpool.

“[Delap] is trying to improve every day and take on the challenge of playing in the Premier League,” McKenna said. “I spoke to him about leading the team today as it is a lot of responsibility as a No9 in a team where we have come from. He is just enjoying the challenges and taking each day as it comes.”

There are levels, of course, to this league; Delap was kept under wraps by William Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal only three nights earlier. There again, Tosin and Colwill had done an excellent job on a similar type of striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, at Everton a week ago.

‘Beast’ is very much the right word.