Maresca praises Delap before the reunion

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of Monday’s meeting.

Delap is a player he previously worked with in Manchester City’s academy and the Blues boss has predicted the 21-year-old could become “an important player for England”.

Delap has been a standout performer for Ipswich this season, scoring six goals in his first full Premier League campaign.

The young striker, who is the son of former Premier League star Rory Delap, joined Ipswich in the summer in a deal worth up to £20m after leaving Manchester City’s academy .

Reflecting on his time coaching Delap, Maresca said: “Liam is a fantastic player, and also for his age. I think we spent a year together, and he scored (about) 22 to 24 goals. He is a very good striker.

“England has a lot of good players, a lot of good strikers (but) he works a lot with the ball and with the ball, he understands the game and he can score goals. I think he can be an important player for England.”

🚨👀 Enzo Maresca: “Liam Delap is a fantastic player”.

“We spent a year together, he scored 24 goals… that’s a very good goal.”

“He works a lot with the ball, with the ball, he understands the game and he can score goals. He can be an important player for England.” pic.twitter.com/ILXHuXr7qt

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 27, 2024

During his time with City’s under-21 side, Delap was prolific, scoring an incredible 35 goals in just 36 appearances.

He also gained valuable experience with loan spells at Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City in the Championship before making a permanent move to Ipswich to secure regular first-team football.

Although Delap is yet to make his senior debut for England, he has represented the nation at various youth levels, including 10 appearances for the Under-21s, where he scored twice.

Ipswich continue to fight for survival, sitting 19th in the Premier League and three points from safety, but Delap will be hoping to surpass his former manager when he is welcomed to Portman Road.