Chelsea fans have been encouraged by Liam Delap’s bold statement of intent after he selected the ‘cursed’ No.9 squad number following his arrival from Ipswich.
The striker spent just one season with the Tractor Boys and moved to Stamford Bridge after signing a deal until until 2031 after the Blues triggered his £30million release clause.
An agreement was reached between the clubs last week for the England under-21 international, who becomes the Blues’ first summer signing and can join immediately due to FIFA’s 10-day June transfer window.
That will enable him to take part in the upcoming Club World Cup in the United States, though if he travels with the team it will means he will miss the European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia.
The 22-year-old said on the club’s official website: ‘I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach.
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‘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.”
Chelsea reportedly fended off interest from Manchester United, with the lack of European football next season for the Old Trafford side understood to be a factor in the player’s decision to pick west London.
Chelsea’s Premier League No.9s
Pierre-Emererick Aubameyang
Romelu Lukaku
Tammy Abraham
Gonzalo Higuain
Alvaro Morata
Radamel Falcao
Fernando Torres
Franco Di Santo
Hernan Cresop
Mateja Kezman
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Chris Sutton
Gianluca Vialli
Enzo Maresca’s side will play in the Champions League after finishing fourth in his first season in charge, the first time the club has qualified for Europe’s top competition since 2022.
Delap’s signing means the pair will be reunited after working together with Manchester City’s under-23 team while Maresca was in charge during the 2020/21 season, and latterly with the senior squad when the Italian was assistant to Pep Guardiola.
Delap made only six first-team appearances for City, scoring once, before loan spells with Stoke, Preston and Hull.
Despite Ipswich’s relegation from the Premier League, which made his release clause active, he adapted quickly to the top flight by scoring 12 times in his first full season in the division – comfortably his best goal return – having spent most of his senior career in the Championship.
Chelsea have been stretched thin in attack this season, with injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu leaving the team without a fit striker for periods of the campaign.
Of those two, only Jackson has scored in the Premier League and the need for credible competition and support for the Senegal international has long been apparent.
Despite only a limited body of evidence to work with, Chelsea fans are convinced Delap can thrive without the weight of the No.9 shirt on his back.
The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao and Gonzalo Higuain, to name but a few, have struggled to cope with burden of expectation during their ill-fated spells in west London but Delap, it is felt, is made of sterner stuff.
One fan wrote on X: ‘Delap picked number 9 after all this? All I see is a striker with elite mentality.’
Another Chelsea supporter added: ‘Tammy backed himself with 9 shirt and proved himself. Like Delap is showing confidence and rubbishing superstition. ‘If you’re good enough, past shouldn’t matter.
And a third confidently said: ‘Really like that Liam Delap has the confidence to take the number 9 shirt. He is going to explode at Chelsea.