Liam Delap's 'hothead' side, why he wasn't Ipswich's first choice and Chelsea transfer message

Chelsea's search for a new striker could potentially be solved by Ipswich Town forward as he with a move to 's side.

The forward has been a shining light in an otherwise disappointing season for Ipswich. Delap has netted 12 times despite the Tractor Boys languishing in 18th place in the and 14 points adrift of safety with just six fixtures remaining.

With Ipswich's drop to the Championship looking increasingly likely, it could pave the way for to swoop in. The ex- striker is also reportedly on 's radar as Ruben Amorim's side seek a solution to their goal-scoring problems.

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And Alex Jones, an Ipswich Town reporter for the East Anglian Daily Times, has been closely following the striker's progress at Portman Road.

"In somebody who's just turned 22, he ticks a lot of boxes," Jones said. "There are good finishers or players that are really fast and powerful who might not have all of those things combined, whereas Delap at 22 has all of those, which is a bit of a surprise considering his background and his previous loans, which haven't been amazing.

"When it comes to what he does well, it's finishing in a team that has struggled for goals so far this season, a team that has a real lack of experience. God knows where they'd be without him.

"Then there's also a lot of stuff that probably goes under the radar - and it's when you see him linked to clubs like United and Chelsea you can see a lot of fans kind of turn their noses up because they look at his background and where he is at the moment. It doesn't appeal, but then you dig deeper and if you watch him a lot, you kind of see the work-rate, the energy, the pressing.

"When you talk to him, he doesn't appear the most switched-on. It's really harsh and blunt to say, but his football intelligence is really surprising, the pockets he takes up space, bits like that. Brilliant movement. He's good with cutbacks. Left foot, right foot, brilliant penalty taker, good in the air, wants to battle centre-backs. So those are all of the positives.

"In terms of the negatives, since the turn of the calendar year, his form has dipped - for sure. It's picked up in the last couple of games, but his goals have dried up a little bit. I think it is a little bit down to him but, also, Ipswich's form, which has dipped pretty harshly in 2025, so there are kind of consistency question marks.

"The only other bit that really stands out to me is sometimes he can be quite hotheaded and get involved in things that he maybe shouldn't. There have been games where he has looked a little bit rattled."

Delap's journey this season has been nothing short of transformative, considering the doubts surrounding his ability to spearhead a newly-promoted side's attack.

"He wasn't initially going to be Ipswich's first-choice striker," Jones concedes. "They originally tried to sign Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea and they had a few other targets in mind.

"Ultimately, they decided, I believe, partly based on Delap's strong start to the season, that he could be their main man upfront. His goal against Fulham is one of the highlights of Ipswich's season so far. It was a fantastic strike and he's really grown into the campaign.

"In terms of the system, he has quite a free role, but one where because the attacking line can be quite fluid and flexible, it's kind of a floating number 10, a left winger who stays quite narrow, a right winger who likes to go high and wide. Delap goes into the spaces where he needs to be.

"I think [Kieran] McKenna's kind of said to him, don't try and just be purely a striker that is focused on goals. It's obviously your priority, but there are a lot of other aspects to him that I think McKenna has brought out, which obviously helps when you have a high level of footballing IQ.

"He's a bit like Harry Kane in a way. Dropping deep, being a good passer, really clever footwork, holding up the ball, things like that."

The Tractor Boys appear almost certain to lose their star player this summer. Reporter Jones indicates that the club is well aware of the looming threat, with Chelsea and several others angling for a new striker.

"Ipswich are aware of the fact Delap is going to attract a lot of interest as there was in January," Jones explained. "In January, the approach was [Delap was] not [available] for sale under any circumstances.

"There is now a realisation that relegation is quite likely, and I think that the club knows that - especially with the relegation - there's not going to be a feasible chance of holding on to him.

"The chairman, Mark Ashton has said; 'Look, we're in a good position, we're covered no matter what, so we're happy with what we're going to get out of, whether he stays, whether he goes'. They're definitely confident of getting the right fee."