Liam Delap signed a six-year contract with Chelsea on Wednesday through 2031 as their marquee striker signing of the summer, but fans won't have to wait until next season to see him don a blue shirt.
Delap was left off Lee Carsley's England squad for the upcoming UEFA European U21 Championship since he'll be competing with his new club in the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup.
22-year-old Delap follows in the footsteps of Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to name a few to wear the number nine shirt. He'll compete with Nicolas Jackson for the starting role as Enzo Maresca looks to solve his striker dilemma. Neither Jackson nor Christopher Nkunku have managed to make the position their own and Marc Guiu is still young. Chelsea haven't had a long term answer at striker since Diego Costa left in 2017.
Delap scored 12 Premier League goals this season across 37 appearances. Alongside Cole Palmer, Delap has the potential to up his tally and get valuable Champions League experience this season.
The former Manchester City academy product was coached by Maresca in the club's Elite Development Squad. Chelsea activated Delap's £30 million ($40.6 million) release clause with Ipswich Town after the Tractor Boys were relegated to the EFL Championship at the end of the 2024–25 season.
Chelsea are favoured to advance from Group D in the Club World Cup where they'll face ES Tunis, Flamengo and LAFC. Depending on their group finish, they could face either Bayern Munich, Benfica or Boca Juniors in the round of 16.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Learn Liam Delap Club World Cup Decision.
