
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.
Reader Comments (50)
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2 Posted 27/06/2026 at 15:16:09
I still rate him if we got the Ipswich version. I wouldn't advocate paying more than the £30M Chelsea paid though.
3 Posted 27/06/2026 at 15:36:39
I think he could be excellent if handled right. Reminds me of yorkie Alan Smith, a nightmare for a centre-back.
4 Posted 27/06/2026 at 15:36:56
If he fits Moyes's 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, Dewsbury-Hall 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.
5 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:03:53
Why would we buy him going on those stats? And he has a very poor disciplinary record, his last yellow was for breaking Spence's jaw!
6 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:19:06
No reputable publication or journalist has reported that Everton are pursuing the player.
7 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:19:21
I wouldn't want to pay money for him, I'd loan him, see what his fitness record was like, what his performance was like and whether he was any good, and then I'd decide this time next year what I'd do with him.
To pay big money on him knowing he could flop like most of our other striker buys, would just be so Everton.
I'd say he reminds me a bit of James Beattie but I actually thought Beattie was a better striker, his record and variety of goals before he came to us was wide and far, Southampton got the best out of him, at Everton I don't think Moyes did him too many favours.
8 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:19:43
A bit of horse trading for the Transfer Committee to consider.
9 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:21:50
If it was a 50% off deal then £15M might make me look again. But I'd still prefer Troy Parrott or Evan Ferguson. More natural goal scorers.
10 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:28:51
He did not want to come to us… what makes you think, after crashing and burning at Chelsea, he could do better with us?
We already have two useless strikers up front so why not add another there? Moyes… and you can tell everyone its our budget and you are great so it will be fine.
Is a joke — and not a funny one. Fuck this pretender right off!
11 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:46:34
But Ferguson is out long-term after ankle surgery.
12 Posted 27/06/2026 at 16:55:59
Hitting long balls to the isolated lump up top. The School of Science continues, year on year.
13 Posted 27/06/2026 at 17:01:56
He's rubbish. Sign him immediately.
14 Posted 27/06/2026 at 17:05:47
He could go either way in all fairness… If the price is right, he could be worth a gamble.
15 Posted 27/06/2026 at 17:17:06
Obviously Delap is going somewhere as Chelsea don't want him so who will take him? Certainly no one at the price quoted.
Interesting to see how this one pans out.
16 Posted 27/06/2026 at 19:26:53
Also, I like the fact that we field a mostly English or British team some weeks and he keeps that going. Rather him than some foreign get stealing a living (eg, Barry)…
And who is to say he would be the only one? Or be our only option? Sign him up and keep looking.
17 Posted 27/06/2026 at 20:09:41
Please buy a top right-back, we've been waiting 5 years to sort this position out. And some quality on the right wing because I can see Moyes using Rohl there, just like he did with O'Brien, and that will turn out a disaster.
Someone stand up and help our club out.
18 Posted 27/06/2026 at 20:31:16
If we hadn't originally bought him for £25M, that would have been a smart piece of business.
19 Posted 27/06/2026 at 20:45:00
Jackson, if you insist on a Chelsea player, some edge and more of a weapon, plus a good hookup if Ndiaye stays.
20 Posted 27/06/2026 at 20:59:15
There are lots of clubs in the mix which suggests they feel that they can re-ignite the Ipswich player.
21 Posted 27/06/2026 at 21:09:07
Dewsbury-Hall couldn't get a sniff there, but has done well at Everton.
22 Posted 27/06/2026 at 21:21:34
If we recruit well and improve the quality and quantity of chances, both Barry and Delap will score more than they did last season. That's when you get genuine competition for the No 9 spot, which is exactly what we've been missing.
23 Posted 27/06/2026 at 21:43:49
Again, though, he's a player I haven't studied in particular so I can't say whether his difficult time at Chelsea was just a straightforward and forgivable misstep or valuable performance data to be used to give an overall assessment.
Right money and you'd hope he'd be an upgrade with new-found humility and a lot to prove. Problem with a loan could be we get the player back on track and he gets another more attractive offer for the longer term.
24 Posted 27/06/2026 at 22:58:40
Most of the season it looked like snatch a goal on the break,followed by defending for our lives.
Will Delap improve by watching long hoofs forward passing overhead? I seriously doubt it.
25 Posted 27/06/2026 at 23:44:08
26 Posted 28/06/2026 at 01:39:39
27 Posted 28/06/2026 at 01:39:49
28 Posted 28/06/2026 at 04:48:29
29 Posted 28/06/2026 at 04:54:50
But no doubt our fan base will be criticizing Moyes whoever he gets, for not getting Toney, despite him being under contract in Saudi and not available. Presumably these same fans will also all chip in for wages equivalent to £1M a week adjusting for tax.
30 Posted 28/06/2026 at 06:40:48
Yes, he is 29 and has had a few injuries but he is class. Sell Barry and rotate him with Beto.
31 Posted 28/06/2026 at 07:00:50
Surely we are not going into a new season with Beto and Barry!
32 Posted 28/06/2026 at 07:35:34
33 Posted 28/06/2026 at 07:42:48
Maybe those very fan boys would like to chip in for the wages payment?
34 Posted 28/06/2026 at 08:54:19
Newcastle tried to buy him a year ago. Everyone was excited. But still they are urging Newcastle to get him. Different perceptions!
Have we become miserable pessimists supporting Everton?
35 Posted 28/06/2026 at 09:33:18
Dominic Calvert-Lewin got 9 Premier League goals, not counting penalties, yet everyone says he was amazing... don't make me laugh!!
Concentrate on getting these two lads better service and they will probably both get 15 each.
36 Posted 28/06/2026 at 09:46:27
Moyes probably likes his physicality, but what we need is pace and a clinical finisher, not another battering ram!
Nicholas Jackson is a quicker, more dangerous, run-in-behind-and-stretch-the-defence type who'd make much more of a difference, I'd say!
37 Posted 28/06/2026 at 10:11:24
I'd rather keep the two donkeys we have already.
38 Posted 28/06/2026 at 10:13:34
The job of an agent is to get an unhappy player a move. So, in the case of Delap, he and his agent will know that the possibility of him being the main striker at Chelsea is over.
Delap has had a poor season so he was on Everton's radar last season so let's all assume they might return for him, and so, once it's rumoured in the press, in some people's mind, it's a done deal. Harry Wilson, we were told, was one of Moyes's main targets and, lo and behold, he has signed for Leeds!
So I say, when you see speculation about Everton being interested in a player, just take it with a pinch of salt and believe it when he signs and he is pictured wearing the kit.
39 Posted 28/06/2026 at 10:29:04
I just get a feeling that the people behind the scenes are not aligned when it comes to the recruitment of players. It's not as if Moyes will be able to use European football as an excuse for not getting players in this summer -- not that I believed him when he said this was one of our main problems last summer.
Hopefully we get some pleasant surprises in the next few weeks; otherwise, there is going to be so much negativity around a club that should really be full of positivity going into the new season.
Another thought has just crossed my mind about agents, after reading that Clarke has resigned from his post in Scotland.
40 Posted 28/06/2026 at 10:42:35
Everton fans are now hyperventilating, shouting "Steer clear of Delap!" Newcastle fans getting excited and urging owners to buy Delap. Who is right?
41 Posted 28/06/2026 at 11:07:44
I absolutely agree with you when you say that TFG are not aligned with Moyes regarding the recruitment of players. And we know that there is only one winner in that argument.
I think quite obviously there were signings last year that weren't supported by the manager. It's obvious that TFG want to buy young and hopefully develop them, whereas Moyes wanted more tried and tested Premier League players.
I think Iriola would have been the perfect fit for an owner who wanted to buy and develop young players, but that ship has sadly sailed. I am far from convinced about TFG; I think they seem more interested in making money from non-footballing events at the stadium, well at least for the moment.
I had hoped that, coming back, Moyes would be more adventurous than last time... but that doesnt seem to have been the case.
42 Posted 28/06/2026 at 13:38:19
The problem I have is that many, many fans seem to think we have the money to spend on a single forward who would make such a difference whilst not commanding a 6 figure weekly wage or a price tag closer to £60m.
A stuttering forward in his early 20's is what £30m - £40m gets you in todays market.
Jarrad Bowen has a £20m release clause but he's 29 and is currently on £150k per week which won't be reduced due to relegation.
He's far more consistant and we'd get 3/4 years out of him but I doubt anyone in Toyota Towers will pay the wage.
43 Posted 28/06/2026 at 16:00:34
Seen him in a number of Chelsea games, and more recently in the World Cup. He always seems to be offside, which is really frustrating. Never seems to get his timing right. Other times, he's just plain lazy not running back on side in time.
I'd prefer Parrot.
44 Posted 28/06/2026 at 17:47:19
I've not seen any reports of Bowen having a £20m release clause. Where have you seen that? I've love us to sign him for £20m if that info is correct.
45 Posted 28/06/2026 at 18:03:29
We don't seem ( I know it's speculation ) to land our priority targets, last season or early doors this summer.
So you'd think the priority would be younger developing players who see us as a step up, but are they interested?
Half the fanbase (at least) have no confidence in the manager progressing the team significantly, which the owners must have at least some knowledge of, so are they being cautious, knowing his time may be limited?
Are they are not prepared to go big on transfers, worrying the money may be wasted?
If Moyes is pulling in one direction on transfers and the recruitment is looking in another direction, it's a recipe for a waste of a summer window.
46 Posted 28/06/2026 at 23:25:27
47 Posted 28/06/2026 at 23:39:41
Certainly not you Adrian. Your question is bogus.
Please show me/us the evidence that you have seen to back up your claim that 'Newcastle fans [are] getting excited and urging owners to buy Delap'.
Have a look at this:
https://www.footballinsider247.com/newcastle-united/transfers/newcastle-fans-say-the-same-thing-as-chelsea-set-demands-for-liam-delap-deal
Here's a snippet (have a look at the tweets):
'Newcastle Uniteds fanbase have made it clear that they do not want to see Liam Delap make a move to St James Park this summer after his awful 2025-26 campaign'.
48 Posted 29/06/2026 at 08:03:03
49 Posted 29/06/2026 at 15:51:39
Delap, on current form, would be an instant upgrade over Barry, provided the finances are reasonable, and that Everton would give him more playing time.
Delap on his pre-Chelsea form would be a no-brainer but then Everton wouldn't get him for a bargain basement price and he wouldn't even be for sale.
Aside from the fact that Delap would be out to prove a lot of doubters wrong and would want to hit the ground running.
Get it done Everton.
50 Posted 29/06/2026 at 21:17:18
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1 Posted 27/06/2026 at 15:03:47
Maybe some cheap talk is helping get an offer for George considered? I don't get it.