Cursed already? Liam Delap takes Chelsea No.9 shirt after £30m transfer - with striker inheriting jersey from flops Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata & Fernando Torres

England U21 international Delap has completed a £30 million ($41m) transfer to Stamford Bridge after the release clause in his contract at Ipswich was triggered. He has been offered an immediate return to the Premier League on the back of suffering relegation in 2024-25.

Delap spent just one season at Portman Road, but hit 12 top-flight goals for a team that failed to avoid tumbling back into the Championship. At 22 years of age, he is considered to still have plenty of potential in his game that is waiting to be unlocked.

Chelsea are hoping to be the ones to benefit from that, as they look to find a regular goalscorer to lead their line, but have handed a squad number to Delap that boasts a rather chequered past.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the last man to don No.9 for Chelsea - with the ex-Arsenal star registering just one Premier League goal - while the likes of Lukaku, Morata, Torres, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao and Mateja Kezman have all struggled to deliver in the same shirt. It has also, somewhat surprisingly, been filled by Steve Sidwell and Khalid Boulahrouz in west London.

Delap is determined to succeed at Stamford Bridge, telling the Blues’ official website: "Growing up watching this club, I understand the stature of it and how incredible it has been over the years. I wanted to come here to win trophies. When I spoke to the club, everyone wanted to get back to the very top, and they have the quality and the players to do that. The hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective."

Delap is currently preparing for the European U21 Championship with England, after which he will enjoy a short summer break before linking up with Enzo Maresca’s Conference League-winning squad for pre-season and a 2025-26 campaign that will include Champions League football.