Liam Rory Delap is a professional footballer who plays for the Premier League club Chelsea. The 22-year-old is a striker by position and is being considered one of the best in his position in recent times. The English striker had a fantastic breakthrough season in the league with Ipswich Town during the 2024/25 season, which attracted several clubs, including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, who all wanted his services. But it was Chelsea who scooped the young striker for a reported fee of around £30m.
Delap was from Manchester City’s famous academy, where he started making a name for himself. He pursued a move away from the Citizens to have regular playing time. His decision to seek a new adventure reaped rewards as he made a great name for himself. His shot-striking, physicality, and high game intelligence made him stand out in the league. Breaching double digits for the first time in his career, he is expected to scale more heights in the future.
This summer is a crucial one for him as he is set to prove himself in the big leagues for the London club, having already won the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 after defeating the Champions League winners, PSG.
Sports run in Liam Delap’s blood. His father, Rory Delap, was a professional footballer who was famous for his Stoke City spell. Rory was well known for his gigantic throw-ins. Liam’s mother, Helen, is a marathon runner and completed the stiff Three Peaks Challenge. The Delap brothers walked in their father’s footsteps as Liam’s younger brother Finn took up football as well. Finn plays for League One club Burton Albion.
Delap was born in Winchester, Hampshire. His lineage comes from Ireland. His paternal grandfather and three great-uncles are from Letterkenny, Ireland. His paternal grandmother is from Moynalty, Ireland. Delap is said to be quite close to his family and enjoys their company all the time.
Liam Delap is an ode to the old-school English centre-forward. He is 6’1 tall, strong and quick. Delap can show excellent link-up play with his back-to-goal. He creates great separation with his arms and spins away from marking defenders. It is a great injustice to just limit Delap to a target man. His technical ability resembles the best in the world. He is quite blessed with his first touch and can trap the ball with ease. His intelligence to make runs into space and find gaps in the box allows him to be on the end of chances constantly.
Once he gets to the end of that, he is a lethal finisher. His ball striking is pure, and he can belt it with his right foot. He has multiple finishes in his locker and can be a fantastic aerial threat on corners. Penalties are one of his key strengths. It should be noted that Delap is not a finished product quite yet. His indecision on the ball gives opponents time to pick his pockets. He can also work on his creativity with passing and crossing. He is also not a great ball carrier, as he often fails to manage his strides with his pace. However, there is a lot of time for him to develop into a scary striker with some good coaching.
Liam Delap is making waves in the football world right now and is attracting major interest from various brands. He will soon be the go-to face for many of them. Currently, Delap has amassed a net worth of £3.5 million thanks to his pay from contracts.
England
