Nightmare situation unfolding between Chelsea and Liam Delap
Chelsea have some big decisions to make at the end of the season.
Not only are the Blues searching for a new manager following their decision to sack Liam Rosenior after just a few months in charge, but they must also decide on which players they want to keep hold of and which ones they want to let go.
While defensive signings are likely to be the priority, attacking reinforcements are also needed amid the team’s continued struggles in front of goal.
And top of the agenda will be to sort out Liam Delap’s future. The forward has been a huge disappointment since his £30 million move from Ipswich Town last summer.
An injury which kept him out for two months at the start of the campaign hasn’t help, but him netting just one Premier League since has raised massive questions over his ability to lead the line.
Liam Delap makes surprise decision on Chelsea future
Delap’s struggles have led to his future becoming uncertain, and while Chelsea could still turn a profit, according to the Telegraph, there appears little desire on the players’ part to leave Stamford Bridge.
Despite emerging as a target for Newcastle United, Delap believes, with a full pre-season, he has what it takes to revive his Chelsea career.
The 23-year-old still has five years left on his £100,000-per week contract, so is under no pressure to leave after just one season.
And the former Ipswich Town forward’s failure to seek a move elsewhere will leave BlueCo in a tricky position and potentially forced to continue with him on their books.
Summer headache for BlueCo incoming
Even though the Blues are not short on strikers, and even less so when Emmanuel Emegha arrives from Strasbourg, they don’t have a central talisman capable of scoring week-in, week-out.
Joao Pedro has been a decent signing but Delap has so far shown no evidence he can be the type of player Chelsea desperately need.
Nicolas Jackson will return to Stamford Bridge in the summer following his season-long loan with Bayern Munich, and could play a bigger part if Andoni Iraola is appointed as manager.
And should that series of events unfold, Delap is likely to slip further down the Blues’ pecking order.
His refusal to accept a move elsewhere could not only cause problems for BlueCo, but the player risks his development stalling even further.
A potentially nightmare situation for all parties, and yet more proof BlueCo have made some massive mistakes since their takeover in 2022.
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