Everton cannot be serious about chasing after Liam Delap again? | OneFootball

He's been rubbish for Chelsea since he chose them instead of Everton last summer. So why on earth would Everton be interested in taking a run at him again? 

Well, neither Beto nor Barry, despite their somewhat surprising combined total of goals last season, seem to be what Everton need as a focal point up top. But honestly, can that role be executed any better by Liam Delap?

If his recent stint in West London is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding "probably not". After triggering his £30M relegation release clause from Ipswich Town last summer, Chelsea have seen a thoroughly miserable return on their investment. Delap managed just a single Premier League goal in 28 appearances this past season, looking entirely out of his depth in a chaotic, bloated setup at Stamford Bridge.

Yet, the rumour mill grinds on. Contemporary reports suggest that David Moyes is still keen on the 23-year-old. Moyes took the unusual step of publicly courting the striker last summer before Delap had his head turned by the promise of Champions League football under his former Man City youth coach, Enzo Maresca. With Moyes seemingly looking to ease the goalscoring burden on Beto at the Hill Dickinson Stadium next season, it appears Everton might be willing to offer Delap an escape route.

The finances of such a deal, however, are enough to make you wince. Despite his dismal form, the hierarchy at Chelsea are reportedly looking to turn a profit, floating a comical £40M asking price — though they would likely settle for recouping their initial £30M outlay.

Given Everton's ongoing balancing act with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and keeping our Squad Cost Ratios (SCR) in check, shelling out that kind of money for a player who just spent 9 months looking like a flat-track Championship bully feels incredibly reckless.

Everton aren't the only ones supposedly kicking the tyres. Fulham are reportedly considering a move, while Newcastle United and his former club Ipswich Town — who are keen to "bring him home" following their quick promotion back to the top flight — are also heavily in the mix.

Former striker Kevin Phillips recently chimed in on the prospect, warning that Delap needs guaranteed, week-in, week-out starts to rebuild his confidence — something he isn't strictly guaranteed on Merseyside if he has to compete with Beto and Thierno Barry for minutes.

If Chelsea are truly holding out for a premium fee to save face on a poor transfer, this is a saga we should be happy to watch unfold from a distance. We need a reliable focal point up top... not an expensive rehabilitation project.

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We could improve our transfer reputation by publicly refuting this and other speculation. I'm not well versed in transfer ops but I see no value in Everton positioning for Delap.

Maybe some cheap talk is helping get an offer for George considered? I don't get it.

Gavin Johnson 2 Posted 27/06/2026 at 15:16:09

The craziest thing about Delap is that Chelsea now expect to make a £10m profit according to reports after a truly abject season.

I still rate him if we got the Ipswich version. I wouldn't advocate paying more than the £30m Chelsea paid though.

Fans don't get to pick. Internal discussions obviously occurred about him before Chelsea lured him in. If he fits Moyes' plans going forward then I'm sure he will get more out of him than Chelsea managed to. Was he even happy at Chelsea? Debatable. Do players play to their strengths when they are unhappy? I think time and time again we see resurgencies in players, Ndiaye being one, KDH being another who just need that encouragement. At Chelsea (and we all knew it) it's dog eat dog and basically a player conveyor belt. We aren't buying anyone for £40m outright so it's bargain basement time again and he's one of the better options IMO