Liam Delap regret aired already at Chelsea amid Everton developments
Everton were strongly linked with a move for Liam Delap last summer.
It was reported that David Moyes wanted to sign Delap, who had a release clause of £30million following Ipswich Town’s relegation from the Premier League.
Moyes confessed that talks with Delap had taken place, as he looked to bolster his centre-forward options in a window that would see the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Youssef Chermiti leave.
However, Delap opted to join Chelsea instead, leaving Everton to move onto other targets, before eventually completing a deal for Thierno Barry.
Gabby Agbonlahor speaks of Liam Delap, Everton mistake
Few could really blame Delap for choosing Chelsea over Everton, as the 22-year-old looked to really kickstart his career at the top level.
But, since arriving at Stamford Bridge, things haven’t really gone to plan for the England youth international.
He’s played just 689 minutes of Premier League football so far this term, with nine of his 15 appearances being as part of the starting XI.
In all competitions, he’s scored just three times in 27 games, and is finding himself playing second fiddle to Joao Pedro.
So, there will perhaps be an element of doubt creeping in as to whether he made the right decision snubbing Everton to join Chelsea, and former striker Gabby Agbonlahor certainly feels so.
Speaking via talkSPORT, Agbonlahor made it clear that he feels as though Delap should’ve signed for the Toffees in the summer.
“I said, when he joined Chelsea, I thought Liam Delap should have gone to a team like Everton; develop there for a couple of years and then make the move to a top six side,” he said.
“I think the jump from Ipswich to Chelsea was too much.”
Everton could explore Delap transfer again this summer
However, just because Delap has struggled to hit the ground running with Chelsea in his debut season doesn’t mean his career at the top level should be written off entirely.
Delap is still just 22-years old, and it goes without saying that some players take longer than others to reach their full potential and blossom into the player they’ve been widely tipped to become.
He signed a contract with Chelsea until 2031, so time is on his side to be a success there too, and so Liam Rosenior may well be willing to sanction a loan move for him in the summer if things don’t pick up for him.
If so, then Everton could be rewarded greatly if they were to take a chance on him, as he’s proven at Ipswich that he can score goals at Premier League level, and he could thrive in a different change of scenery.