‘Liam Delap to snub England for Chelsea’: ‘Absolutely no chance’ he joins U21s
Liam Delap is expected to quickly resolve his club vs country battle before Chelsea jet out for the Club World Cup in America over the next few weeks.
Enzo Maresca‘s side finished the 2024/25 campaign in style, claiming a top-four finish on the final day of the season with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest before lifting the Europa Conference League title.
The Chelsea boss had been under serious pressure from the fanbase until Champions League qualification was sealed, and those same supporters can now look forward to the arrival of Ipswich Town’s Delap.
Football Insider reported as recently as 20 May that Man United led the race to sign Delap, but with no Champions League football at Old Trafford next season, it could be just days until his move to Stamford Bridge is announced.
The 22-year-old will be keen to make a good first impression on Maresca, but with the England Under-21s kicking off at a similar date to the Club World Cup, he is left with a tricky decision to make.
Danny Murphy, however, believes that the choice should be a simple one, choosing his new team over his nation, and many supporters have agreed with the statement.
Liam Delap to choose the Club World Cup over Euro U21
Speaking on talkSPORT (4 June), Murphy said: “I think the club is the priority. Take the Delap scenario, if he’s moving to Chelsea. He wants to bed in, get to know the lads, stake a claim, be the star ahead of [Nicolas] Jackson, and impress the manager.
Jim White said: “They’ll ask him to put the CWC first,” to which Murphy replied: “Damn right, he should. That’s his bread and butter going forward for the next five years.
“Going to the Under-21s tournament is a good experience if you’ve not got something else to compare it to, but it’s not going to benefit his Chelsea career. What if he gets injured playing for the Under-21s?
“Playing well for the Under-21s while Chelsea are playing in this tournament, Maresca’s not going to be watching, is he? He won’t see him in training every day.”
White then suggested that Delap is keen to pick England over Chelsea, to which Murphy quickly said: “No chance. Absolutely no chance. I don’t believe that. You’re going to say that, but there’s no way.”
New Chelsea star to impress in front of Enzo Maresca
Football Insider verdict
Murphy raises a good point, and one that England U21s supporters must respect as the youngster prepares to take a leap from Portman Road to Stamford Bridge after a single season in the top flight.
International players in this country are often frowned upon when pulling out of the squad for friendly matches, not wanting to sustain an injury before heading back to their respective clubs.
While Lee Carsley‘s squad will miss his presence in the final third immensely, developing and bettering his career must be top of his list this summer, and that means remaining with Maresca’s squad.
Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho, and Noni Madueke have all been linked with Chelsea exits, leaving plenty of chances for the soon-to-be new signing to impress on a huge stage.
Having scored a penalty against the Blues and even set up Omari Hutchinson‘s goal, Maresca has already seen first-hand what the striker sensation is capable of, but not in his own set-up at Chelsea.
The Club World Cup will give Delap a much-needed chance to stake his case as a Chelsea player, and while it would be an honour for him to feature for England U21s, it is a simple decision to make when his new club are thought to be taking the money-spinning new tournament very seriously.