Call Me Crazy if you Like, But I Really Want Chelsea Flop Liam Delap at Nottingham Forest

Delap-idated - Crap Chelsea Spell Does Not Put Me Off Blues Flop

So last week, my colleague Ben Growdon branded Chelsea wantaway Liam Delap as a 'horrific footballer'.

Now, with this article being pitched by one Chelsea fan and written by Ben, who is also a Chelsea fan, this point of view can be understood pretty simply - Liam Delap has had a pretty terrible time at Stamford Bridge since joining them from Ipswich Town last summer.

🚨 Liam Delap confirmed to leave Chelsea.

Read more ⤵️https://t.co/Ivs4EMZ1T0

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) August 2, 2026

He managed just one Premier League goal all season, a far cry away from the healthy 12 he netted for the then-relegated Tractor Boys, and has coughed up a total haul of three from his 49 appearances in a Blue shirt in all competitions. On top of that, things like his mentality, persistent fouls and rough play and seriously inconsistent shooting have all led to his time in East London to be heralded as beyond awful.

To add to that, Danny Welbeck has arrived at Chelsea in a surprise switch from Brighton, young stars like Dastan Satpaev and Emmanuel Emegha have arrived and the incredible scoring forces of Joao Pedro remain at the club too. So chances for Delap might be dwindling, and his name has been circled as a very likely departure from the Blues this summer.

🚨 Nottingham Forest are weighing up a move for Chelsea striker Liam Delap this summer.

The Telegraph reports that Forest have identified the former Manchester City forward as a potential addition to their attack.

Delap could slip down the pecking order at Chelsea following the… pic.twitter.com/nrRKxSLrIJ

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 30, 2026

That appears to have pricked the ears of Nottingham Forest - the club of my heart and the bane of my life. We're in re-shape mode, as per, but our summer business hasn't been quite as dramatic as prior years. Instead, we are looking to keep our core and re-invest the mammoth fee given for Elliot Anderson into some key additions across the team, the most exciting of which (to me) is Sporting wonderkid Ousmane Diomande.

But a new striker has been put on the hypothetical shopping list of many Reds this summer. Chris Wood isn't getting any younger, and the injury he suffered last season might play a big impact on him to the same fashion one did to Taiwo Awoniyi. Igor Jesus is a solid player who may only improve this term, and Arnaud Kalimuendo may finally be given an actual chance this season as well, but that represents a fairly thin forward line.

Enter some links for new signings, and Liam Delap is in there amongst them. Despite a shite year at Chelsea, I would absolutely still have him.

The Ipswich Spell

The highlight of Delap's career so far is, of course, his fantastic season with Ipswich Town in the 2024/25 campaign. Despite Kieran McKenna and his men succumbing to the Premier League trap door in their first term back in the top flight, the now-23-year-old still netted a very impressive 12 goals along the way.

To do that at an early age, in your first Premier League season spent as a starter and for a relegation side is very, very impressive.

He finished as the Tractor Boys’ top scorer, picked up the club’s Young Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Goal of the Season awards, and looked every inch the classic English No. 9: strong, aggressive, willing to put himself about with decent hold-up play and, where needed, a clinical-enough edge when the chances came. Twelve goals and a couple of assists in 37 league games for a side who were flirting and ultimately fell victim to the drop zone is no small feat. He was a handful of a striker who wound up defenders with a relative ease.

That form is exactly why Chelsea triggered the £30m release clause last summer. On paper, the move did make a lot of sense but, unfortunately for them and Delap, it did not work out anywhere near as well as intended.

The Chelsea Nightmare

I won't paper over any cracks with this, but Delap has been a train wreck of a signing for Chelsea. His one top-flight goal was a far cry away from the healthy haul he brought home in East Anglia, and his limited starts, inconsistent finishing and foul-adjacent play all lead to him being swallowed whole by the ever-shifting Chelsea dynamic. Joao Pedro was absolutely flying last season, though in a slightly different role, and the aforementioned new arrivals might put even more pressure on his spot. On top of that, the various managerial changes to the Blues' system never seemed to quite suit his direct, physical style.

Liam Delap actually isn’t normal. pic.twitter.com/ZEjpCGVjX0 https://t.co/tjUr3WmZqq

— E (@Ellis_) May 21, 2026

For the most part of the season, he looked lost. That in turn has lead to questions over his mentality and, of course, that particularly venomous tag from my Chelsea-supporting colleague. For £30m, Chelsea got almost nothing back on their investment.

Despite all of that, I still believe in him. One poor season in a frankly dysfunctional environment with the increased pressures of the so-called 'big six' does not a bad footballer make, and it does not delete the obvious qualities he showed off at Ipswich. He isn't the only impressive player to look ordinary when smushed through the Chelsea meat-grinder, and at the age of 23 he has the physical tools, the aggression and the desire to work the channels and become a nuisance to the defence. You don't just lose that ability, and the right platform can bring it about again.

So, to Forest.

Why Forest Might be Delap's Saviour

Back when Liam Delap was rumoured heavily to be leaving Ipswich after they dropped back to the Championship, I was amongst the first in line to say a move to a mid-table side would be perfect for him. Everton, for one, would have been a great destination for him and I believed then too that Forest would be an excellent switch. He went to Chelsea and, perhaps inevitably, failed, but that doesn't mean he is suddenly awful overall.

With Oliver Glasner now through the door, we have got an unspoken promise of a season built with more structure and organisation than the chaotic rollercoaster that has just passed us by. We need the bodies up top as well, and Delap provides a profile that those aforementioned striking stars at the City Ground do not already hold.

Hull ended Leicester’s 100% start to the season with this goal by Liam Delap 🤩🐅#HCAFC
pic.twitter.com/dpA5ulz4U2

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) September 2, 2023

He's young and physical and though that hunger may have diminished slightly at Stamford Bridge, there is a previous fire waiting to be lit within him, the same way we have been able to re-light the fires for the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and more since we came back to the Premier League. He can hold play up and stretch defences with his powerful runs and unassuming pace, With better service and a clearer role at Forest than he may have had even at Ipswich, his output could be even better than it once was.

Understandably so, this move wouldn't be for everyone. The price tag is lofty with Chelsea chasing upwards of £35m to get something back on their investment, so he's hardly a bargain buy. But relating that fee to the mega money received for Anderson and the age and potential upsides for a move, it could still be pretty savvy business. He isn't the finished article, of course, and the rough edges of fouls and perceived attitude issues will need coaching out of him, but the ceiling remains pretty high for a 23-year-old talent.

Liam Delap is desperate to try and prove himself at Chelsea, he wants to stay another season.

Do you want to give him a chance? pic.twitter.com/wbImgQondI

— JnR (@CFCJnR) July 20, 2026

Personally, I would take the Delap gamble ahead of some of the alternatives that have been floated around. We could be the classic right club at the right time, and with regular minutes and a little bit of trust we very well could see the version of him that terrorised unassuming defences for Ipswich just over a year ago, and not the struggling youngster failing to get a shoe in the door at Chelsea.

Bad season and all, Liam Delap has the tools to be a very astute addition.