Liam Delap has signed a six-year deal at Chelsea (Image: Getty)
Liam Delap has reportedly opted to play for Chelsea at the Club World Cup rather than compete at the Under-21 European Championship for England. The striker put pen to paper on a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge earlier this week in a deal worth £30million.
Chelsea managed to fend off competition from a host of top clubs around Europe to land the forward, with their Champions League qualification proving decisive in Delap’s decision to join the club over Manchester United.
Enzo Maresca headed into the summer transfer window with hopes of bringing in two new strikers, and the acquisition of Delap is widely viewed as a major sign of intent from the club – especially so soon after the season concluded.
Activating Delap’s clause so early in the window will allow the 22-year-old to be fully integrated into the Blues set-up at the Club World Cup in the United States - at the expense of England’s Under-21s.
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Lee Carsley is said to have understood the decision (Image: Getty)
According to the Daily Mail, Delap will not be named in Lee Carsley’s Three Lions squad later this week as he has opted to play with his new team-mates at the Club World Cup instead of competing at the Under-21 Euros in Slovakia.
With the two competitions clashing, Chelsea remained in contact with the Football Association (FA) about their plans to make him part of their squad in the United States. Delap also received the ‘blessing’ of Carsley to make the call, with the U21 boss appreciating that his No. 9 was dealing with a ‘unique situation’.
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Chelsea’s first game of the competition will take place on June 16 when Maresca’s side take on Los Angeles FC. If they manage to progress to the latter stages of the lucrative tournament, the final will be held in New Jersey on July 13.
Delap will be keen to show his worth as soon as possible at Chelsea, having spoken about his desire to win silverware at Stamford Bridge. He said: “I understand the stature of this club and can see the trajectory it is on with these players and the head coach. It’s going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies.”
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