Wayne Rooney drops Derby County, Liam Delap transfer claim | OneFootball

The ex-Rams boss made the comment when speaking about his previous interactions with Man City manager Pep Guardiola

Wayne Rooney has dropped a Derby County transfer claim involving now-Chelsea striker Liam Delap.

Rooney was appointed as the Rams’ manager in January of the 2020/21 season, at a time when the club’s recruitment strategy relied heavily on loans and free transfers.

Although Derby didn’t enter administration until that September, the club was already in serious financial difficulty, so Rooney spent the start of the year using his connections to try and strengthen his squad.

Deals for the likes of Patrick Roberts and Teden Mengi reflected that approach, who both arrived on loans from Manchester City and Manchester United respectively.

Yes, Roberts in particular made a key contribution by scoring in that dramatic final-day draw against Sheffield Wednesday, but Rooney originally wanted to sign a different Man City attacker.

Wayne Rooney's Derby County transfer claim involving Liam Delap

Speaking as a pundit for the BBC during Saturday’s FA Cup final, Wayne Rooney briefly lifted the lid on trying to sign then-Man City striker Liam Delap for Derby County.

When asked by Mark Chapman about his experiences dealing with Pep Guardiola during his managerial career, Rooney offered an insight into his attempt to do business with the Spaniard.

"I had Patrick Roberts who at the time was at [Manchester] City - on loan - and it was actually Liam Delap I was trying to sign on loan for Derby," Rooney said.

"So I called him, it didn't get through so then he called back and I missed it, and he left a voicemail saying ‘Hi Wayne, this is Pep, the one who beat you in the Champions League final’.

Delap’s name is already very familiar to Derby fans, having come through the club’s academy at Moor Farm before leaving for City in a deal worth around £1m when he was just 16.

But there’s no denying that his departure is still a bit of a sore point, with the Rams losing a top prospect before he had the chance to feature for the first team.

Liam Delap could've made a huge impact for Wayne Rooney's Derby County

At the time of Rooney’s approach, Delap had yet to experience senior football away from City, with his eventual loan spells in the Championship at Stoke City, Preston and Hull coming later on.

Derby's top scorer for the 20/21 season was Colin Kazim-Richards, who had eight, but the second-best was Martyn Waghorn with five. Another striker, Potters' loanee Lee Gregory, finished with three goals himself.

Delap's birthday is in February, so yes, he would've only been 18-years-old at the time, but he would've added a lot of pace and raw talent to what was an ageing strike force.

After departing the Etihad in 2024 to join Ipswich Town in a deal worth up to £20m, the striker completed another move to Chelsea just a year later for a reported £30m fee.

Ultimately, Rooney’s light‑hearted comment is a reminder of how tough Derby’s recruitment was, and how fine the margins were when trying to attract top young players to a Championship side with no money.