Chelsea have strengthened their attack by completing the £30m signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich. The club were determined to bring in a new striker this summer and have moved swiftly to secure one of their top targets.
Delap, who has signed a six-year deal, chose to join Chelsea after receiving pitches from Everton, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. The 22-year-old scored 12 goals for Ipswich last season and was available at an affordable price following their relegation from the Premier League. Chelsea met the release clause in his contract last week.
Enzo Maresca knows Delap from his time at Manchester City and played a key role in convincing the England Under-21 international to pick Chelsea. The forward, who joined Ipswich from City last summer, has been asked to miss the Under-21 European Championship in order to represent his new team at the Club World Cup.
“I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach,” Delap told Chelsea’s website. “It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies.”
Simone Inzaghi has been appointed coach of Al-Hilal, the Saudi Pro League side announced on Wednesday. The Italian left Inter on Tuesday after the side's humiliating 5-0 loss in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain last Saturday, and has quickly taken on another managerial job.
The Saudi club did not immediately disclose any details about Inzaghi's contract, but Italian media reported that it could be worth up to €30m (£25.3m) per season. Inzaghi's first task will be to take charge of Al-Hilal at the Club World Cup in the US; they will face Real Madrid on 18 June in their group opener.
Earlier on Wednesday, Cesc Fàbregas pledged his immediate managerial future to Como amid speculation that the Spaniard is Inter's main target to replace Inzaghi.
The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder has attracted the attention of several top clubs after leading promoted Como to 10th place in Serie A.
'I really believe in Como's long-term project, I arrived here as a player and I'm very, very happy because I can work here the way I want," Fàbregas, who is also a shareholder in the club he manages, said at the SXSW (South By Southwest) conference in London. Italian media have reported that Inter want to speak to Fàbregas after Inzaghi left by mutual agreement on Tuesday. Reuters
It remains to be seen if Delap is the last forward to join Chelsea this summer. They are also interested in the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The arrival of another forward would raise questions over Nicolas Jackson’s future.
