Liam Delap scored 24 goals under Maresca as Manchester City Under-23s won the league in 2021 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he has no doubt new striker Liam Delap will become a "future England number nine" as he prepares to make his Blues debut at the Club World Cup. The 22-year-old forward joined in a £30m deal from Ipswich earlier in June to reunite with his former Manchester City academy manager. Delap, who signed a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge, scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last term. Chelsea face Los Angeles FC in their Club World Cup opener on Monday (20:00 BST) in Atlanta. When asked about Delap, who pulled out of England duty for the European Under-21 Championship to join Chelsea in the United States, Maresca said: "I said Liam can be England's number nine when we faced Ipswich. "Now he is a Chelsea player, I'm going to say again, I don't have any doubt that he can be in the future England number nine. "We won with Manchester City's Under-23s - he scored 24, 25 goals that season - so he knows exactly what we can give him, I know what Liam can give us. It's a win-win. We like Liam, Liam likes us, so it was an easy conversation." Delap is among four new players in Chelsea's squad, along with returning loanee Andrey Santos and new teenage signings Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders. But Maresca explained Delap will have to compete with fellow striker Nicolas Jackson to earn a starting place and refused to say whether he will start at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He also explained, without directly being asked about it, that the club needs a new left winger after Chelsea paid a £5m penalty fee not to sign Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho, adding: "Jadon is not with us. So for sure that is a position that probably we need to do something. "Also because, Misha [Mudryk] is not with us. At this moment we have Noni [Madueke], Pedro [Neto] and Ty [George] as proper wingers. So for sure something is going to happen." The Blues are expected to rekindle their interest in Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens as thetransfer window re-opens on Monday, having had a £42m bid rejected for the 20-year-old just before the Club World Cup. They also made an approach for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, but Maresca insists he still has faith in the likes of Robert Sanchez. He explained: "Robert is the number one, we have Filip as number two. "Penders joins us in the next few weeks to analyse, judge him and take a final decision. Then for Maignan or different players, I don't think it's worth talking about them."
Delap a 'future England number nine' - Maresca
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"Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca Predicts Bright Future for Striker Liam Delap"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Liam Delap, the young striker who previously played for Manchester City, is set to make his debut for Chelsea at the Club World Cup after joining the team for a reported fee of £30 million from Ipswich. Under the guidance of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who was also his coach in the Manchester City academy, Delap has been touted as a potential future number nine for the England national team. Last season, Delap made an impressive impact in the Premier League, scoring 12 goals in 37 appearances. Maresca expressed his confidence in Delap’s abilities, recalling their successful time together at Manchester City where Delap scored 24 goals during their league-winning campaign with the Under-23s. Maresca emphasized the mutual appreciation between Delap and the club, indicating that the decision to bring him to Chelsea was straightforward due to their established rapport.
As Delap prepares for his new role at Chelsea, he faces competition for a starting position from fellow striker Nicolas Jackson. Maresca, while excited about Delap's potential contributions, refrained from confirming whether he would start in the upcoming match against Los Angeles FC. Additionally, Maresca acknowledged the need for further strengthening the squad, particularly in the left winger position. Chelsea recently opted not to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, incurring a £5 million penalty, which has left them seeking alternatives. The club is expected to revisit their interest in Dortmund's Jamie Gittens during the upcoming transfer window, following a rejected £42 million bid. Maresca also addressed the club's goalkeeping situation, expressing confidence in Robert Sanchez as the starting goalkeeper despite speculation surrounding other potential signings including AC Milan's Mike Maignan.
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