A Crowded Room

Ipswich Town ended last season as one of the most forgettable relegation sides in recent memory. Despite the lack of attention paid to the club, Liam Delap became one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League.

Fresh off qualifying for the Champions League, Chelsea decided that this relatively unproven player fit their ambitions.

Delap played well for a terrible side, but nothing about his performances screams top class. Not really needing another forward, Chelsea opted to bring in Delap into an overcrowded team.

Hoping to tap into that magic that unlocked Cole Palmer, Chelsea picked up another former City academy graduate. Unlike Palmer, Delap arrives at Stamford bridge with a bit more Prem experience. The striker profiles as more of a known quantity, even if that experience is still lacking.

Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea seemed to have turned a corner, and the pieces are slowly coming together. The Italian found ways to get the attack flowing from the litany of players Chelsea employs. However, Delap adds more confusion to a team that slowly figured things out last season.

Unless the club plans to use him as a rotation piece, it feels like this move makes little sense.

Already employing so many attackers, Chelsea lacks the space for the young forward to truly make an impact.

Unlike their fellow relegated sides, Ipswich Town came and went without making much noise. If Delap hadn’t played for them, they would likely have joined the likes of Luton in terms of forgettable Prem sides.

Even with Delap playing well, he never truly broke out. The further one digs into his statistical profile, the more confusing it becomes as to why clubs rated him so highly. 

Not a creator by any imagination, Delap is somewhat of a modern poacher. Somewhat carries his profile a lot, given how far below his counterparts he finds himself. A below-average finisher with some unexpectedly poor expected goal numbers, he promises to be nothing more than a backup.

Furthermore, looking at his match log shows a streaky striker who struggled to put together good form. Only scoring more than once in a game a single time, Delap’s last goal in the Prem came in early April.

Another notable concern remains his relatively weak passing accuracy, which went down even more in the Prem.

To be perfectly fair to Delap, that Ipswich team lacked creators who could open up the game for him. One of the worst offenses in the league, they struggled to create much of anything. Some of his struggles can be attributed to the team he was on, but not all of them.

Chelsea clearly hopes that Delap can be a diamond in the rough, just as Palmer was. Perhaps the best comparison for Delap profiles to be Álvaro Morata. A fine midtable striker, but a backup for any team looking to actually compete.

Unlike their rivals, who continue to fight over the likes of Isak and Gyökeres, Chelsea picked up a work in progress.

Still only in his early 20s, Delap may still improve, but he fails to truly excite fans. 

Chelsea spent money on every type of player under the sun in previous years, but it felt that Chelsea would stay put with their forwards. While the Delap move makes sense in terms of the player they need, his timeline contrasts with his team’s needs. 

After spending big on Nicolas Jackson last summer, Chelsea hoped that the duo of him and Palmer could lead the team into a new era. Jackson impressed with Villareal in previous seasons, showing an ability to play well in a fast-paced offense. Enzo Marseca seemed to have a tandem that could save Chelsea, especially after Palmer’s breakout season.

Palmer continued his excellent play, but Jackson didn’t live up to that price tag. However, the goal tally obstructs what was a promising season for the Senegalese forward. An efficient striker, Jackson posed an interesting threat alongside Palmer.

PHOTO: Chelsea Football Club

If they wanted to upgrade their attack, it would have come on the wings. Even then, the tandem of Madueke and Neto complemented each other well.

Should Nkunku leave, then Delap as the backup striker makes more sense. After starring in the Bundesliga, Nkunku no longer resembles the player he was before injuries derailed his career. Outside of Nkunku, Chelsea lacked another striker who could rotate with Delap.

The only way this move works for Chelsea is if Maresca uses him as the team’s backup striker. For the player, however, this requires him to be ok with essentially being a rotation piece at 22. If he buys into that role, he offers the team another dimension that can truly help them elevate the offense.

Out of all the players that Chelsea looked to target this offseason, Delap felt the most random. Given the way the team finished last season, it felt that offensive upgrades were the furthest from their biggest need.

Liam Delap’s move to Chelsea opened up the newly minted early summer transfer window, but it remains strange. A player who lacked any elite qualities moved to a club that didn’t really need him.

Despite beginning to turn things around, this feels like the Chelsea of old, who spent just to spend.

PHOTO: Chelsea Football Club