Liam Rosenior has predicted Chelsea striker Liam Delap could "really take off" next season. Despite facing struggles throughout this campaign, Rosenior remains optimistic about Delap's future.
Chelsea managed to secure Delap's signing for £30m from Ipswich last summer amidst interest from several Premier League clubs. However, the 23-year-old player has had a challenging start with just two goals in 24 appearances across all competitions.
Liam Rosenior, Chelsea manager, said:
“If you look at most players’ careers, after they have joined a club, it’s the second season they really take off. For Liam, he’s had some really, really good performances, but also his rhythm has been interrupted by injury. I’m really happy with Joao and really happy with Liam.
“I think Marc Guiu, when we’ve called upon him, has been very good, and that needs to continue for us to be successful.”
Delap has grappled with injury issues and struggled to make a significant impact when he did play. Currently playing second fiddle to Joao Pedro in form, some critics like Jamie Carragher believe that joining Chelsea might have been too big of a leap for Delap. Despite an impressive performance against Hull recently, it is likely that he will find himself back on the bench for Saturday’s game against Burnley.
Next season
The England under-21 international is hopeful of finishing this campaign strongly. Backing him up is Rosenior who believes that despite current challenges, Delap will improve and kick on next season.
As if finding his feet wasn't enough of a challenge already for Delap at Stamford Bridge, there will be even more competition next season with Emmanuel Emegha arriving from Strasbourg. Emegha has signed a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge and scored an impressive 14 goals in Ligue 1 last season under Rosenior's guidance. The Dutch international is expected to go straight into the first team squad and challenge for minutes next season.
While this year may not have gone as planned for Liam Delap at Chelsea so far due to injuries and other factors limiting his impact, there is optimism for the future. With Rosenior's backing and his own determination to improve, Delap could indeed "take off" next season. However, with new competition in the form of Emmanuel Emegha on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how things unfold at Stamford Bridge in the coming months.
