Everton could face a three-way battle with a couple of domestic rivals for Chelsea's Liam Delap this summer. But a former Premier League striker reckons the player could be a 'good fit' for David Moyes' men.
A report in TEAMtalk cites Ben Jacobs, senior football correspondent at Give Me Sport, as claiming that Tottenham Hotspur, who have already snapped up Liverpool's Andy Robertson and Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi this summer and have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion for Jan Paul van Hecke, have entered the race for Delap.
Jacobs told the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel: 'I think that Liam Delap could be one to watch from Chelsea, another club that Tottenham wouldn't normally do too much business with. Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham, the three clubs that like Delap. Before we can clarify whether anything is going to develop there, Delap wants to stay and fight for his place, so he's going to understand where he is in this pecking order, with Joao Pedro number one under Xabi Alonso, who is going to be the number two striker? Is it still going to be Delap? Is it alternatively going to be Nico Jackson, who's coming back from a loan spell at Bayern? I think unlikely, but Jackson wants pre-season to see if he can change the new manager's mind. Once all that falls into place, if Delap is available on the market, Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham are the three Premier League clubs I'm hearing.'
However, former England international centre-forward Alan Smith, who won a brace of League Championships with Tottenham's north London rivals Arsenal, plus the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup-Winners' Cup, netting 115 goals in 351 games for the Gunners, believes a switch to Hill Dickinson Stadium could work for Delap. Speaking courtesy of BestBettingSites.co.uk, he told the ECHO: 'It seems to be another good fit to me. They've got Beto and Thierno Barry, haven't they, at Everton. Neither are top class. Barry's younger, he might develop. But I think Delap coming in would be a good addition for the squad and a good addition for the starting XI. If he could gain a bit of confidence, because he will be a bit short of that after the year at Chelsea, get a few goals early on, and then they'll have quite a player there, I think.'
Delap netted a dozen Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024/25 but after they went straight back down to the Championship, his £30million relegation release clause enabled him to talk to interested parties. Everton were one of those chasing his signature at the time, hoping the prospect of being the leading star going into a new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium could add weight to their bid. Blues boss Moyes took what was an unusual step for him of publicly declaring his interest and following their talks he said: 'We've had a chance to speak to him, yes. He spoke to three or four clubs. He's given us our opportunity to pitch our case. We're probably a little bit behind the black ball but hopefully, you never know what happens.'
Ultimately, Delap chose to go to Chelsea, who could offer Champions League football while also providing him with the chance to play under Enzo Maresca, who had previously been his coach at Manchester City. However, the Italian departed on New Year's Day and the west London club, after hiring and then fired Liam Rosenior less than four months into a six-and-a-half-year contract, have now appointed Xabi Alonso. Despite being part of the squad that lifted the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA last July – alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who moved to Everton for £25million the following month – Delap netted just once in 28 Premier League matches this term and struck twice in 41 games in all competitions.
