Liam Delap has urged Nicolas Jackson to embrace the ‘competition’ he will bring to Chelsea after impressing on his debut for the club.
Delap enjoyed a lively cameo in Chelsea’s opening Club World Cup win over Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia.
Replacing Jackson just after the hour mark, Delap – who completed a £30m move from Ipswich Town – provided the assist for Enzo Fernandez to score Chelsea’s second.
Delap nearly created another assist as he troubled the LAFC defence with his speed and power.
The man he replaced, Jackson, made the assist for Pedro Neto’s superb opener.
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It remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca will view Jackson or Delap as his first-choice striker for the rest of the Club World Cup and for the 2025-26 campaign.
Jackson endured another inconsistent season at Stamford Bridge – scoring 10 Premier League goals, two fewer than Delap managed for relegated Ipswich.
‘I think it’s always good to have that competition, it’s football and this is an incredible club,’ Delap told DAZN after the win over LAFC.
‘It’s always going to be incredible hard at a club like Chelsea but you have to thrive off the competition.’
Delap added on his Blues debut: ‘It’s a really happy feeling for me.
‘I’m so excited to be here and to play my first game and be able to contribute is a good feeling.
‘The team have welcomed me really well. I have only had a few sessions here but I am excited for more.’
Despite Chelsea spending £30m on Delap, John Obi Mikel still believes Jackson will start the new season as Maresca’s first-choice striker.
The former Premier League title winner said: ‘We needed somebody to come in to score the goals and finish the chances.
‘He wasn’t the guy the fans wanted – we know they wanted Osimhen – but the club decided to go with Delap.
‘He’s young, he’s going to get better but hopefully he hits the ground running as that will silence the doubters. I hope he succeeds.
‘I think he can, the runs are really good. I think he can be the guy to finish the chances but I still think Nicolas Jackson will be the main man, he just needs to work on his finishing.
‘I think he will still start next season but if he’s not scoring Delap will get his opportunity and that’s just how it works. Healthy competition is important.’
More to follow…
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