'I've been hearing whispers' - Everton could back away from Liam Delap deal amid 'dithering'
Everton should pull away from any plans to sign Chelsea striker Liam Delap if the player is not certain that he wants to make the move happen.
That is according to former Toffees chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that David Moyes will only want the 23-year-old if he is truly keen to move to Merseyside.
This comes after Football Insider revealed at the start of July that Delap is hoping to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place under new boss Xabi Alonso.
Wyness worked with Moyes for several years during his time at Goodison Park, and is clear that a stance like that will not sit well with the Scottish boss.
Delap has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after a difficult debut campaign that saw him score just three goals in 47 games in all competitions.
Everton were keen on the starlet before he moved to West London, and the links between the two parties have re-emerged again in recent weeks.
Liam Delap is not Everton's only striker option
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – emphasised that his former club have plenty of other options when it comes to striker targets this summer.
The Scottish businessman outlined both Ayase Ueda and Daizen Maeda as targets for Moyes and Co., and stressed that if Delap doesn't truly want the move, then the club should not allow their hands to be tied.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he urged the Toffees' recruitment team to back away from the Chelsea man.
"Yeah, look, if he's going to be dithering, then I'm afraid he's not the one for Moyes. If he doesn't want to come directly to Everton and be an Everton number nine, then he's not the player for us," Wyness said.
"There's already Ueda and Maeda at Celtic, et cetera. There are another few other names I've been hearing whispers around Bramley Moor. So let's just see what comes out.
"But yeah, look, if Delap is at all hesitating, then I'm afraid Everton have got to move on. From all I'm hearing, his move, when he was at Ipswich, if he'd gone from Ipswich to Everton, I think it would have worked out a lot better for him."
Tyler Dibling told exactly how to save Everton career
Former Everton scout Bryan King told Football Insider earlier this week that winger Tyler Dibling needs a "loan move" in order to save his career at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Merseysiders fought off heavy competition to sign the 20-year-old starlet from Southampton for £40million last summer, but he has since managed just four Premier League starts.
King emphasised that Dibling's growth as a player has been significantly hindered by the price tag that was attached to him, and his time at Everton is now under serious threat of being cut short.
The Toffees have alreayd added Tyrique George to their squad on a permanent basis, a deal which will push Dibling even further down the pecking order.