Liverpool legend and ex-England defender Jamie Carragher (Picture: Getty)
Jamie Carragher believes Liam Delap made a mistake joining Chelsea and says he should have signed for another Premier League club instead.
Delap, 23, has scored just one league goal for Chelsea since his £30m move from Ipswich Town last summer.
A number of clubs expressed interest in signing Delap, who hit double figures in the Premier League last season despite playing for relegated Ipswich.
Manchester United were close to signing Delap before the former Manchester City striker was keen to move to Chelsea.
Carragher says joining Chelsea was a ‘bad move’ for Delap as the ‘jump’ from Portman Road to Stamford Bridge was ‘too big’.
‘It was a bad move. Honestly, it was a bad move going to Chelsea,’ Liverpool legend and ex-England defender Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast.
‘I just think young players, when they’re on a journey and getting better… the jump from Ipswich and Chelsea was too big, he needed somewhere in the middle.
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Chelsea summer signing Liam Delap (Picture: Getty)
‘Somewhere like Everton. If you play centre forward for Everton and play every game and know even if you have a few bad games you’re still going to play.
‘Whereas at Chelsea he’s never sure he’s going to play, even if he starts. Sometimes the jump is too big, you need that team in the middle.’
Delap is behind fellow Chelsea summer signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
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Ex-England striker Emile Heskey believes Delap needs to ‘improve his hold-up player’ to become a better player but is still backing him to ‘come good’.
‘Liam Delap needs to concentrate on improving his hold-up play,’ Heskey told aGamble. ‘It’s such an important asset because it affects how your teammates play with you.
‘They want a striker who they can be confident in firing the ball into, knowing it will stick. I think Delap needs to focus on that and spend more time on it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKfdHnSNUoD/?hl=en
‘It is difficult, though, because a lot of the time people only care about goals and assists, but I still believe overall play is very important for him.’
Heskey also disagrees with Carragher’s assessment that Delap was wrong to join Chelsea.
He added: ‘Despite this, I think he was right to move to Chelsea in the summer. He believes he’s good enough to play for a top club, so he was right to take the opportunity.
‘He understands the pressure that comes with playing for such a big club because he was in the Manchester City academy and that will help him.
‘He just needs to find his feet, and that may take until next season. I think he will come good.’
Delap came on as a late substitute in Chelsea’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Tuesday night.
The Blues, currently fourth in the Premier League, return to action on Friday with an FA Cup clash against Liam Rosenior’s former club Hull City.
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