Chelsea fans are already obsessed with Liam Delap, despite the fact that he has only three games under his belt. The 22-year-old scored 12 Premier League goals for the ill-fated Ipswich Town last season, making him one of Europe’s most sought-after players. In the end, Enzo Maresca’s crew won the bidding war and secured his services for £30 million.
Signing someone who was already familiar with English football and its physical demands appeared to be a wise decision. Bringing him in before of the Club World Cup also allowed him vital time to adjust to life in London, learn Maresca’s tactical philosophy, and bond with his new teammates.
However, Delap’s grace period was brief, as he did not require one. He’s off to a fast start, with a goal and an assist in only three games. And now the comparisons are flying in, with some fans comparing him to none other than Harry Kane.
How Liam Delap Performed During Chelsea’s 3-0 Win Over ES Tunis
The new frontman put in an all-encompassing display in his third appearance
What distinguishes Kane from his predecessors is his unique ability to score, assist, hold up play, drop deep like an offensive midfielder, and defend from the front. And in his 59-minute cameo against ES Tunis on Tuesday night, Delap appeared to have taken more than a leaf from the Bayern Munich striker’s playbook.
In some ways, his ambition spoke it all. The young Englishman scooped the ball out of the air with his back to goal, flipped his marker inside out, deceived another defender with a quick-thinking fake, and then simply tapped past a hapless keeper. Watch his first goal for Chelsea below:
But if that wasn’t enough to pique the interest of his new admirers, his other contributions throughout the routine triumph were most likely.
In addition to scoring Chelsea’s second goal of the game, he had two on-target shots, a 77% pass accuracy, won both of his ground duels, and was fouled twice on a night when his heatmap lit up practically every blade of grass. View his whole match highlights below:
Reacting to his performance on social media, one X user wrote: “This guy is the next Harry Kane,” while another agreed: “He’s gonna transform into Kane.” A third point of praise stated, “We nabbed baby Kane for £30 million,” while a fourth concluded, “Next England No. 9.”
Delap Prepared to End the Blues’ Striker Hex Following the match, he was reminded of the club’s “No. 9 curse.”
After the game, Delap was reminded of the faults of some of Chelsea’s previous strikers, including Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, and Romelu Lukaku, all of whom attempted – and ultimately failed – to wear the number nine shirt with any real poise or purpose. His response (which you can see below) was fantastic.
“You must have belief and confidence. It’s simply a number on a shirt at the end of the day; it doesn’t mean much to me, and I don’t believe in curses. “I just need to keep delivering.”
Chelsea’s next game in the Club World Cup is against Benfica in the Round of 16 on Saturday, following their qualification. With the increased prize money in the redesigned competition, the club will be anxious to get to the final stages as they prepare for the 2025/26 campaign.
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