Chelsea legend urges Liam Delap to leave Stamford Bridge to revive career

Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has advised Liam Delap to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, insisting the young forward needs regular first-team football to get his career back on track.

Delap joined Chelsea in a £30 million move from Ipswich Town in 2025 after impressing during his breakthrough Premier League campaign, where he scored 12 goals despite Ipswich's relegation.

However, the 23-year-old struggled to establish himself in West London. Limited opportunities under Enzo Maresca and later Liam Rosenior, coupled with João Pedro's status as Chelsea's first-choice striker, restricted Delap to just one Premier League goal throughout the season.

With reports linking Everton with a move for the England youth international, Hasselbaink believes leaving Chelsea, either permanently or on loan, would be the best decision for the striker's development.

"He needs football. He can't have another season like he had at Chelsea," Hasselbaink said on WhoScored's The State of Play podcast.

He added, "If that means he needs to go out on loan, he needs to do it, because he's too young to sit on the bench."

Hasselbaink believes the lack of opportunities has affected Delap's performances and urged him to find a club where he can play consistently.

"He needs to kickstart his career again, score goals, and get that feeling back because every time he played for Chelsea, it felt a little bit like he was up against it.

"He needs to get the confidence of the manager that says, 'Don't worry with the first or second, just go and play'. I think he can be a top-four club kind of striker, but he needs games," he added.

Chelsea are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Delap as they continue reshaping their squad ahead of the new campaign.

Everton are understood to be among the clubs interested in signing the striker, while the Blues are said to be seeking around £40 million to recover and potentially profit from their investment.