Liam Delap could be exactly what Forest need. Forest could be what he needs too

At Chelsea, there has never been the sense that Liam Delap was the right fit. But Nottingham Forest believe he could be the perfect one for them.

According to people with knowledge of the situation, who, like all of those spoken to for this article unless otherwise noted, have been kept anonymous to protect relationships, during extensive meetings with the Forest recruitment team following his appointment in the summer, Oliver Glasner outlined exactly the kind of forward he wanted to sign.

He craved a player who could be as important to his Forest side as Jean-Philippe Mateta was to his successful Crystal Palace team. He wanted a player with physical stature, mobility, pace and the ability to get in behind opposition defences — somebody with the work rate and determination to occupy the opposition and to leave them on edge.

He could easily have been describing the version of Delap that will be familiar to the fans of Ipswich Town. They saw the now 23-year-old score 12 top-flight goals as they battled against relegation in 2024-2025.  His performances were enough to persuade Chelsea to activate his £30million release clause last summer.

Some might question how Delap’s value has increased to an initial £45million — with another £5million in potential add-ons — following a disappointing campaign that saw him net only a single Premier League goal.

Talk to people who watch Chelsea regularly, and they will tell you a story of a young man who increasingly looked bereft of confidence. He has found himself trapped in the shadow of another signing in the same window, Joao Pedro. Missing two months with a hamstring injury early in the season did not help Delap’s cause, as it allowed the former Brighton man to further enhance his own reputation and for Chelsea to build their identity around him.

Forest were among Delap’s other suitors a year ago, when they believed he could evolve into the perfect replacement for Chris Wood, who is 35 in December.

Delap struggled for form and fitness at Chelsea (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

That outlook has not changed now, with sources saying that Forest believe Delap can follow a similar path as the likes of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi — who grew from being highly regarded youngsters at Manchester United and Chelsea into integral members of the Forest team.

It represents another club record signing for Forest, amid a window where quality, over quantity, was the desired theme. And, while they are making a significant investment in a young man who needs to get his career back on an upward trajectory, they believe they have the right environment to help him do that. He is expected to sign a five-year contract once he has gone through the medical process today.

“For Liam, this is the perfect place. He has an opportunity to resurrect himself. The last year has been a bit of a disaster,” former Forest striker Robert Earnshaw tells The Athletic.

“I know what type of excitement and expectation that comes with pulling on a Forest shirt. For a forward, it is a great place. But there also comes pressure. The No 9 has to have personality, he has to handle expectation — and he has to score.”

Earnshaw scored 45 goals for Forest in 113 appearances after signing in May 2008. That came after one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, when he scored one goal in seven top-flight starts and 15 sub appearances for Derby. He can empathise with Delap now.

“He can lift himself again. When I had a frustrating time; when I suffered knockbacks — I always saw that as a season of learning,” he says. “I always knew I would bounce back. I hope the same for him at Forest. This is the biggest test of his career. He has to back himself, that would be my advice. Come out and show that you are a great forward. That is the mentality he needs.”

Forest’s need for more firepower was underlined by a 2-0 defeat to Leeds in the Carabao Cup, with Wood coming closest to scoring. Former winger Paul Anderson played with Wood at Ipswich — and can see Delap following a similar path.

“Woody’s biggest strength is laying the ball off, getting in the box, then dominating in the penalty area. Delap is slightly different. He will have better movement, sharper speed, and he will carry the ball in behind more than Wood does now,” he tells The Athletic. “He may not be as clinical, but I think that is something that Wood has improved on, as he has got older — and the same can be true of Liam. His journey might be similar.

“If you are playing with two 10s, Delap is as close to the perfect addition as you are going to get. He will stretch defences in a different way to Wood and Igor Jesus, which should create space in those pockets. He will give Forest something they do not have.”

This SkillCorner graphic looks to compare both players’ run types compared to strikers across the top seven leagues per 30 minutes of team possession. The 2024-2025 season is when Wood rampaged to 20 goals for Forest — and when Delap was a key figure for Ipswich.

Both profile pretty similarly when it comes to attacking runs — searching for space in-behind and getting on the end of crosses — but Delap is a little more varied and explosive in his movements when it comes to stretching the channels and running ahead of the ball. Delap is also a lot more comfortable carrying the ball — he attempted 3.1 take-ons per 90 (vs Wood’s 0.4) and carried the ball an average of 7.2 metres per carry, much further than Wood’s 3.2.

Both can challenge in the air well — Wood was involved in more aerial duels that season (7.3 vs 4.6), but Delap won a slightly higher proportion. The obvious pro for Wood is how tidy he is when it comes to making the ball stick, as he demonstrated with his performances for New Zealand in the World Cup.

Anderson was also an academy coach at Derby County, where Delap came through the ranks from the age of six, before joining the Manchester City academy in 2019.

“I know people who coached him, and they all told me that he was all hustle and bustle and gave absolutely everything in everything he did. As he got older, he started developing the finesse to go with that,” says Anderson. “It has not worked for him at Chelsea. If he does well here, will he become a player who can play for a top four club? Maybe he can.

“Come and learn from Wood, play regularly, take Forest to the next level and cement yourself as the number 9 here. He is still young enough to develop, and Glasner has done great work in making good players even better in the past, at Palace. Hopefully he can do the same with Delap.”