Liam Delap scored four goals during a Championship season two seasons ago. His Premier League performance for Ipswich is now raising the possibility that he will soon make his England debut.
The 21-year-old, who will play his former team on Sunday, has eight league goals this season since joining from Manchester City for £20 million.
Chris Sutton, a BBC Sport commentator, stated, “He has a bit of everything in his game.” “He has a great touch and is capable of taking care of himself physically.
However, his greatest quality is his relative lack of fear.
You must possess all the qualities that make you a number nine for whatever your team needs if you play that function.
He has a pretty good balance to his game, and you need to be able to run in behind and hold it up.”
BBC Sport examines Delap’s quick ascent and his future prospects.
Delap, an England youth international, attended Derby County’s academy before joining City at the age of sixteen.
He would later score 35 goals in 36 appearances for City’s under-21 squad, including three straight victories over senior lower-league opponents in the EFL Trophy.
In August 2022, Delap joined Stoke City on a season-long loan, joining his father Rory, who was coaching the first team at the time. However, he only scored three goals in 23 appearances before departing the team in January after Rory resigned as coach. “This loan is his first.
Alex Neil, the manager of Stoke at the time, stated, “I’m fairly certain that he’ll continue and develop into a really good player.”
Delap joined Preston on loan right away and stayed there until the conclusion of the season, although in 15 games, including six starts, he only managed one goal.
He made his debut against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup, but he only played 170 minutes overall throughout his six appearances for the City first team, two of which were in the Premier League.
The next logical step was to gain some Championship loan experience.
It has been a different class to work with his approach and daily application. He’s a wonderful child. North End manager Ryan Lowe stated, “He’ll learn from these loan spells he’s had.”
Delap transforms into a “beast” at Man City. When Delap scored eight goals in 32 games for Hull City in 2023–24, which was double his total for Stoke and Preston combined, he was even happier in the second division.
That was in spite of missing three and a half months due to a knee ailment, which occurred between January and April. Liam Rosenior, the manager of Hull, described him as “a special, special talent” in December, prior to that injury.
Steph Houghton, a BBC pundit and the team’s Women’s Super League captain at the time, met Delap when he returned to Manchester City for rehabilitation and was blown away. “I spent a lot of time with him during his rehabilitation. That’s when you see someone and believe they have the drive and mindset to succeed. He certainly possessed that, based on what I observed,” Houghton added. “He had been playing pretty well and destroying it at Hull. He was heartbroken.
His physique alone gave everyone at City the impression that he had potential.
Every other striker that has played for City has been different from him.
He was simply stronger than everyone and had a presence.
When he came back and finished his rehab, from a physical point of view, Liam simply turned into an incredible beast.
“He is having a great season now and I don’t think that’s a coincidence, from seeing him work day in, day out.”
By the time Delap returned to Hull there were only five games of the season left. He participated in each one, scoring once as the team just missed out on the playoffs in a 3–3 tie with Ipswich.
Hull were interested in signing him permanently but the Premier League was calling.
Delap was eager to leave Manchester City, and in the summer, he decided to sign with Ipswich rather than Southampton for an initial £15 million plus an additional £5 million in possible add-ons.
In December, Delap told BBC Football Focus, “In football, things move fast.” “I got my head straightened out when I chatted with Kieran McKenna, the manager.
I was hoping to come play. “I didn’t feel like I would play and grow if I went somewhere else.
I believed that this was my finest opportunity to grow and improve as a player.
You must believe your instincts and trust your judgment.
Delap has established himself as a player who belongs in the top division after having an outstanding first half of the season. For instance, he has scored eight league goals in 20 games this season, more than any other Arsenal player.
The only City player with more goals this season is Erling Haaland.
Former Norwich striker Sutton stated, “He is aggressive, which is another quality I really like about him.” “He banjos defenders to move aside.”
He has the ability to finish, connect up, and return. “Ipswich made a very wise decision in signing him since they recognized something in him that others would not have.
He lacks the experience of some of the other number nines, such as Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest and Alexander Isak at Newcastle, who are having excellent seasons. Houghton continued: “If you can get someone who can be as strong and as powerful as he is, who can hold the ball up and give your team a break… Ipswich need someone like that.”Now that the goals have arrived—and they undoubtedly have—you can see how confident he exudes.
He consistently puts himself in position to score, even when he is unlucky, like he did with a few attempts against Manchester United a few weeks ago.
He reads the game and is in the perfect position because he has that finisher’s instinct.
location, and he can head a ball too, so it doesn’t matter what kind of chance it is.” “Game by game, my performances are improving,” Delap stated. I always thought I could.
I am confident in my abilities. Being more consistent is the key.
Thomas Tuchel, the next England manager, will undoubtedly be interested in Delap’s form when he selects his first team in March.
“We’re not blessed with English strikers and there’s no doubt Thomas Tuchel will have a good look at him,” former England striker Alan Shearer stated on BBC Match of the Day.
Liam has been contacted by the Irish setup, and Rory was a Republic of Ireland international.
However, since he decided to play for England at the youth level, he probably won’t have any problems.
Delap, a Winchester native, stated, “I always wanted to play in the Premier League and represent my country when I set out.”
It is a privilege to represent your nation. I let the football speak for itself. If it materializes, it will; if not, I will just continue to work.”
Although there has been no indication that City will use it, it is believed that they have a buy-back option and a sell-on clause for Delap.
This season, he has been linked to several clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham.
Furthermore, it doesn’t seem plausible that Delap would join Ipswich if they were demoted.
Sutton remarked, “He just keeps on impressing me,”
He plays a major role in Ipswich’s efforts to stay afloat, but if they lose, they will have a lot of suitors for him, which will be detrimental to them.”
Delap feels like a top-flight player who will stay, even though he had to wait 907 days between his second and third Premier League outings.
Chris Bevan was speaking with Steph Houghton and Chris Sutton.
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