Xabi Alonso has been told to sell a second Chelsea player as he prepares to take over at Stamford Bridge.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder takes charge of Chelsea in July after being appointed their new manager on a four-year contract.
Alonso, who left Real Madrid in January and won the Bundesliga title at Bayer Leverkusen, emerged as Chelsea’s top managerial target after Liam Rosenior’s sacking.
The 44-year-old former Spain international takes over a Chelsea side that finished just 10th in the Premier League last season, 33 points behind new champions Arsenal.
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Alonso will hope to bolster his Chelsea squad with several summer signings but must also work on outgoings given the number of players at Stamford Bridge.
A number of pundits have already urged Alonso to replace No. 1 goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Andy Townsend has also named Liam Delap as a player who should be moved on.
Chelsea beat Manchester United and Newcastle United to a £30m deal for Delap 12 months ago but he endured a miserable first season in west London, scoring just two goals.
Townsend believes it in the interests of all parties for Delap to leave and says he has ‘looked like a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team’.
‘Liam Delap’s next club? Everton are desperate for a striker,’ the former Chelsea midfielder told OLBG. ‘They’ve got Beto and Tierno Barry, and neither of them are good enough, so Everton definitely need one.
‘Liam at Chelsea, when compared to Ipswich, he’s always looked a little inhibited. Is it the way the team plays, or is it just being a higher-profile player now at a bigger club?
‘Whenever he’s come on as a sub, he’s rarely had an impact. I’ve very rarely seen anything where I’ve thought, “Wow, now I can see what Chelsea have invested in.” I just haven’t seen anything from him yet, to be honest.
‘But that happens, he’s not the first striker to go to a club where it doesn’t work out. For whatever reason, sometimes you can’t always put your finger on it. Certain players go to certain clubs, and it just doesn’t happen.
‘Fernando Torres, moving from Liverpool to Chelsea, was a world apart. So, for Liam Delap, I think a move to somewhere where he’s going to be the main man, regular, and consistent is necessary, but he’s got to find a little bit more to his game.
‘He’s looked like a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team and he’s looked awkward and it hasn’t just looked like it’s the right sort of fit.
‘So I think he’s got to believe in himself a bit more. I’d like to think in the summer he will keep himself in really good nick in case something happens.
‘But if I was him, I would be pushing to get away from Chelsea because if he’s not gonna play, you know, you can only sit on a bench for so long before too much of your game starts to disappear.
‘So he needs to get playing now this year. And Everton are desperate for a striker. And if he goes in there and starts bashing in a few goals and starts looking like he’s aggressive they’ll love him there for that.
‘I think that’s the Liam Delap that we all expected to see, but there’s been no signs of that at all at Chelsea.’
Ex-Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has also questioned Delap’s future at Stamford Bridge and suggested a summer move to Everton.
‘I don’t see him going back to Ipswich,’ he told Grosvenor Casinos. ‘Everton would be the obvious place – that looks absolutely nailed on.
‘I’m not saying it’s a done deal, but I think Everton want him and I think it would be brilliant for everyone. And it’s a safer bet for him.
‘Delap is nailed for Everton. There’s technical reasons why. When people talk about the number of goals scored, it’s actually not exactly about that for Everton.
‘You need a certain type of player to hold up the ball, to run the channels, to stretch the game so that three quality players behind you and they have got brilliant players behind them, get a chance to shine.
‘Delap would be perfect. I don’t know if they’ll get them but Chelsea’s not the right place for him.’
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