Liam Delap is “a player who has Everton stamped all over him” and should make a belated move to Hill Dickinson Stadium, according to former Everton star Pat Nevin. The ex-Scotland international believes a move to Everton would have been better for the striker than Chelsea last summer.
Delap's journey from Ipswich to Chelsea
Delap scored a dozen Premier League goals for Ipswich Town in 2024/25, but after their immediate relegation to the Championship, his £30million release clause allowed him to talk to interested clubs. Everton were among those chasing his signature, hoping the prospect of being the leading star in a new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium could strengthen their bid.
Blues boss David Moyes took the unusual step of publicly declaring his interest, saying: “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.”
Why Delap chose Chelsea and now may leave
Ultimately, Delap chose Chelsea, who offered Champions League football and the chance to play under Enzo Maresca, his former coach at Manchester City. However, Maresca departed on New Year’s Day, and after hiring and then firing Liam Rosenior in less than four months, Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso and signed Danny Welbeck.
With Chelsea needing to trim their bloated squad, Delap is understood to be free to leave, but the club wants a £40million fee. If Everton paid that, Delap would become their most costly centre-forward ever. Gylfi Sigurdsson remains the Blues' record signing at £45million, followed by £35million initial outlays for Richarlison and Tyler Dibling.
Nevin's verdict on Delap and Everton's right-back search
Nevin, who swapped Chelsea for Everton in a £925,000 move and made 150 appearances for the Blues between 1988-92, told the ECHO: “I haven’t really changed my mind since Liam Delap moved to Chelsea at the time, I thought a move to Everton would have been better for him. He just looks like a David Moyes type of player, and I’m not sure he fits the style Chelsea have been using recently.”
“I am a huge fan of his. I love his work rate and running, if I were a midfielder or an attacker playing behind him, which was my position, I would have loved playing alongside him. He crashes into challenges, pushes defenders, and drags people out of position to create space for his team-mates. He is a good goalscorer when given enough chances, but he didn’t get those opportunities at Chelsea.”
“He’s a player who has Everton stamped all over him. Now, he may never end up there, he might get another chance at Chelsea or decide to go elsewhere because plenty of other teams are looking at him and thinking the same. Everyone can see why it didn’t work out brilliantly at Chelsea. He needs to be the focal point and get a run of games in a row, which never happened for him there. I think there are enough people who believe he can do that in the Premier League.”
Meanwhile, Nevin, a boyhood Celtic fan, is surprised Everton didn’t seal a deal with the Scottish champions for Alistair Johnston. With the Canada World Cup star now facing around six weeks out with a hamstring injury, Nevin has tipped Moyes to solve Everton’s long-running right-back problem.
Nevin said: “I was at the Celtic game against Kilmarnock where they took Alistair Johnston off at half-time, and everyone thought that was the last time we’d see him in the hoops. They were wrong, he’s still there. I was genuinely surprised because it’s very rare for Celtic to turn down a Premier League team, but maybe the money wasn’t right, or the deal will be done later.”
“It may well be that a deal gets done later, and I think he would do a good job for Everton if he goes. It’s a strange situation for Everton, though, because they have a Scottish international right-back who is completely and utterly forgotten about in Nathan Patterson. I was at all the Scotland games, and he did really well. In fact, he played better for Scotland than he has for Everton.”
“Has David Moyes seen something there? Maybe he’s grown and his physique is a bit better now. Regardless, Everton probably need another right-back, and I’m sure David Moyes will fill that position. There are quite a lot of decent right-backs out there. I’m not worried about Everton needing to move midfielders or centre-backs into full-back positions, which they’ve had to do a lot in the past. Moyes will want a proper right-back.”
“Will whoever he brings in be as good as Seamus Coleman or give as much to the club? That’s highly unlikely, he is a club legend.”
