Xabi Alonso urged to sell Delap after £30m Chelsea signing labelled a 'Championship player'

Liam Delap should be sold by Chelsea this summer, according to former Blues midfielder Andy Townsend, who described the £30m striker as “a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team” during a difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge.

Delap arrived from Ipswich Town last summer, with Chelsea beating Manchester United and others to secure his signature. The move has yet to bear fruit: injuries, a lack of form, and the subsequent signing of Joao Pedro all conspired to limit his impact, and he ended the campaign with just two Premier League goals.

The appointment of Xabi Alonso as Chelsea head coach gives every player a nominal fresh start, but Townsend believes the 22-year-old England Under-21 forward would benefit more from a move away than from fighting for his place under the new manager.

“Liam at Chelsea, when compared to Ipswich, he’s always looked a little inhibited,” Townsend told OLBG. “Is it the way the team plays, or is it just being a higher-profile player now at a bigger club? Whenever he’s come on as a sub, he’s rarely had an impact. I’ve very rarely seen anything where I’ve thought, ‘Wow, now I can see what Chelsea have invested in.’”

Townsend was equally blunt about the stylistic mismatch he believes has held Delap back. “He’s looked like a Championship player trying to cut it at a top Premier League team and he’s looked awkward — it hasn’t just looked like it’s the right sort of fit.”

Everton have been mentioned as a logical landing spot for the forward. Townsend argued that a move to Goodison Park could allow Delap to rediscover the direct, physical game that made him so effective at Ipswich during their promotion campaign.

“Everton are desperate for a striker,” he said. “And if he goes in there and starts bashing in a few goals and starts looking like he’s aggressive, they’ll love him there for that. I think that’s the Liam Delap that we all expected to see, but there’s been no signs of that at all at Chelsea.”

Alonso will conduct a full squad review before deciding whether to back Delap for another season or sanction a sale that would recoup at least part of the original outlay.