Nottingham Forest the ‘perfect club’ for Chelsea flop Liam Delap

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The Football Faithful

·28 August 2026

Nottingham Forest the ‘perfect club’ for Chelsea flop Liam Delap

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner believes Liam Delap has joined the “perfect club” for him following his failed stint at Chelsea.

The Tricky Trees signed the centre-forward on a five-year deal for a club record £50 million transfer fee from the Blues on Thursday. The deal includes an initial £45 million fee plus £5 million in potential add-ons.

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The 23-year-old racked up more cards than goal involvements in his only season at Stamford Bridge, receiving nine bookings and a red card while registering three goals and four assists in 47 appearances in all competitions.

Despite Delap‘s disappointing performances, Chelsea could make up to £20 million in profit on the £30 million they paid Ipswich Town for him only a year ago.

Nottingham Forest the ‘perfect club’ for Chelsea flop Liam Delap

Glasner says that Delap is the “perfect fit” for his Forest squad as he brings both power and pace up top, and expects him to thrive at the City Ground.

“We were in talks for many days to be honest, we tried to convince him and obviously we could convince Liam that Nottingham Forest is the right club, at the right moment for where he is in his career,” he said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool on Saturday.

“Also I think, before he picked Chelsea, everybody in the Premier League wanted Liam after his amazing season at Ipswich. When we heard that it was possible [to sign Delap] and we were looking for a striker, with physicality and especially pace and runs in behind. We had other profiles, with a top, top striker in the box with Chris Wood, a proven Premier League goalscorer.

“We are playing more with a number nine, with Igor [Jesus]. We were looking for this profile and Liam was the fit. We are the perfect club for him and I am convinced that he is the perfect player for us.”

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Expanding on why he thinks Delap will fare better at Forest than he did at Chelsea, Glasner continued: “I believe he had a difficult season at Chelsea, with much higher expectations, especially from himself. And then in the last weeks he was not allowed to train with the team, they had a separate training group.

“It is clear you have to look for a club where you have better chances to get minutes and reignite your career and that is why we think we are the right club. The way we are playing, he is a player who needs a little bit of space. His strength is his power, his finishes. I think [that is] what he can get here and on the other side, we get a player that is still young, also he has proven that he can score many goals in the Premier League.

“As I mentioned it was the profile that convinced us and his personality when we had talks. He is hungry, he wants to improve, he wants to make a step forward and this is what we are looking for when we sign players – that they are hungry, ambitious. So the entire package looked great.”

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