Honestly, I didn't see this one coming at all.
When I first heard that Liam Delap might be leaving Chelsea, I thought it would be another loan move. I was already telling myself that maybe the boy just needed regular football somewhere else to gain back his confidence.
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My thinking was simple: let him go out on loan, play every week, score some goals, build his confidence and then come back to Chelsea stronger.
But now I'm seeing that Nottingham Forest have reportedly agreed a deal to sign him permanently for around £45 million.
I just had to look at the news again. 😂
Permanent move? Seriously?
I won't lie, I'm surprised.
Chelsea signed Delap for around £30 million last summer, and I remember thinking that this could be the beginning of something good. He was still young, he had potential, and I felt we should give him time to settle.
But football does not always work the way we expect.
His first season wasn't exactly what Chelsea fans were hoping for. One Premier League goal in 28 appearances is not a number that will excite anyone, but I also don't think it's fair to completely write him off because of that.
Sometimes a striker needs confidence more than anything else.
When you are not playing regularly and you are constantly wondering when your next opportunity will come, it can be difficult to find your rhythm.
Maybe Forest will give Delap exactly what he needs.
If he gets regular starts, the manager trusts him and the team plays to his strengths, I honestly would not be surprised if he starts scoring goals regularly. And that's when Chelsea fans might start looking at each other and saying, “Hmm… did we really have to sell this guy?” 😂
On the other hand, I can understand Chelsea's thinking.
If the reported £45 million fee is correct, then Chelsea would be making a decent profit after just one season. In a squad where there are already plenty of attacking options, perhaps the club feels this is the right time to move on.
Still, as a fan, there's that little feeling in my head saying, “Maybe we should have given him one more chance.”
That's football, though.
Players come and go, and sometimes the player you give up on somewhere else becomes a star.
I genuinely wish Delap the best if this move is completed. I hope he scores plenty of goals at Forest and proves that he still has a lot to offer.
But for now, I'm honestly shocked.
I thought Delap was going on loan.
I didn't think we were saying goodbye completely. 😅💙