Wayne Rooney has dropped a Derby County transfer claim involving current Chelsea attacker Liam Delap.

Rooney took over as manager of the Rams in January 2020/21, at a time when the club’s recruitment strategy was mainly reliant on loan and free transfers.

Although Derby did not enter administration until September, the club was already in significant financial trouble, thus Rooney spent the first half of the year using his connections to attempt to strengthen his squad.

Deals for Patrick Roberts and Teden Mengi, who joined on loan from Manchester City and Manchester United, represented this attitude.

Yes, Roberts, in particular, made a significant impact by scoring in the dramatic final-day draw against Sheffield Wednesday, but Rooney had originally intended to recruit a different Manchester City attacker.

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County transfer claim involves Liam Delap.

Wayne Rooney, speaking as a pundit for the BBC during Saturday’s FA Cup final, briefly revealed Derby County’s attempts to capture then-Man City striker Liam Delap.

When asked by Mark Chapman about his experiences with Pep Guardiola throughout his coaching career, Rooney revealed his attempts to make business with the Spaniard.Rooney stated that he attempted to sign Liam Delap on loan for Derby, when Patrick Roberts was still on loan at Manchester City.then I called him, it didn’t get through, then he called again and I missed it, and he left a message saying ‘Hi Wayne, this is Pep, the one who beat you in the Champions League final’.

Delap’s name is already well-known to Derby supporters, having graduated from the club’s academy at Moor Farm before moving for City in a deal for over £1 million when he was just 16.

But there’s no doubting that his departure remains a sore subject, with the Rams losing a great talent before he had an opportunity to play for the first team.

Liam Delap may have made a significant impact for Wayne Rooney’s Derby County.

Delap had yet to play senior football away from City when Rooney approached him, with loan appearances in the Championship at Stoke City, Preston, and Hull coming later.

Colin Kazim-Richards was Derby’s top scorer in the 20/21 season, scoring eight goals, while Martyn Waghorn finished second with five. Another striker, Potters loanee Lee Gregory, scored three goals.

Delap’s birthday is in February, so he would have only been 18 years old at the time, but he would have brought a lot of speed and raw potential to an ageing attack force.

After leaving the Etihad in 2024 to join Ipswich Town for up to £20 million, the striker moved to Chelsea a year later for a whopping £30 million.

Rooney’s lighthearted comment highlights Derby County’s challenging recruitment process, particularly in attracting elite young players to a Championship team with limited resources.