What Liam Delap ‘needs’ to become England’s successor to ‘special’ Harry Kane - with ex-Three Lions striker hoping Nottingham Forest new boy can be the one

When graduating out of Manchester City’s academy system and showcasing his talent on the Premier League stage at Ipswich, Delap was widely considered to be the logical heir to King Kane’s throne.

A £30 million ($40m) move to Stamford Bridge did not play out as planned - despite becoming a FIFA Club World Cup winner - with only three goals being recorded for the Blues through 47 appearances in all competitions.

His stock took a serious hit in west London, but Forest were still prepared to make him their £50m ($67m) record signing during the summer of 2026. Delap is already off the mark for the Reds and has looked lively through his early outings for new employers.

Regular game time at the City Ground should help the burly forward to rediscover his lost spark, with any goalscorer requiring confidence and managerial backing in order to deliver on a consistent basis.

If end product flows on the banks of the Trent, then Delap - who earned 12 caps at U21 level - should come into contention for a first senior international call-up at some stage. England are crying out for somebody to follow in the footsteps of record-shattering captain Kane.

There are few obvious candidates to be found at present, as an evergreen 33-year-old continues to do the business, but Delap is - alongside 17-year-old Aston Villa wonderkid Brian Madjo - among those looking to prove that there will be life after the most prolific of No.9s.

Asked who he sees filling that shirt in the future, ex-England striker Zamora - who was speaking in association with BetWright Premier League betting - told GOAL: “I really don't know. Harry Kane is extremely, extremely special. There aren't many of him and to try and fill his boots, is firstly going to be a very, very tall task. I don't know who that person is that's going to come in.

“Potentially Dalap. I'm interested to see how he takes the knock of the Chelsea situation. I actually thought he was going to be something really special. He's taken a little bit of a knock and I'm interested to see how he copes with that from the trajectory that he was on, aiming for the stars, taking a blip with injuries and inconsistencies and not as many goals as he probably would have liked at Chelsea. But yeah, he's potentially one.

“I think he needs to fit into the right sort of team. He has to fit into the right sort of team, but Harry's a very hard one to follow.”

Kane has plundered 85 goals for England and will be confident of reaching three figures, becoming an international centurion in the process, before any thought is given to hanging up his boots. He is also just four caps away from matching Peter Shilton’s all-time appearance record.

He will leave a huge void when the day comes to walk away from the Three Lions fold, with the likes of Delap - who will believe that Forest are the “right team” for him - being charged with the task of showing that they are capable of following in legendary footsteps.