Days before the Club World Cup, Chelsea FC officially signed one of the Premier League’s most outstanding strikers last season: Liam Delap. The former Ipswich Town player arrived in London for a fee of approximately €35.5 million. Despite being a young star in the Premier League, this surname is nothing new at the top of the English league, as his father was already an icon of the league a decade ago, being considered the best throw-in player in history.
Liam Delap is on the lips of every Premier League fan these days, and while they discuss his performances with the ‘Blues’, they also remember his father, the legendary Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap. Although father and son have many differences on the pitch, the two are destined to be Premier League figures.
Rory Delap, a touchline legend:
Nowadays, we see long throw-ins more and more often. A play often used by teams, especially in the final minutes of a match, like a corner kick, full-backs launch a powerful cross into the opposing box with their hands directly at the heads of their forwards.
However, the pioneer who made this play fashionable was Rory Delap, Liam’s father, a midfielder who played for several Premier League and Championship teams, most notably for Stoke City, whose fans will always remember him on the touchline at the Britannia Stadium.
Delap turned the throw-in into an art form that his team’s fans revered and opponents feared. The ball shot out of his hands as if propelled by a supernatural force, making the throw-ins look like real free kicks. Those powerful crosses will always be in the minds of Stoke’s mid-2000s strikers. The legendary Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters and Mamady Sidibe owe a large percentage of their goals to the good Irishman.
Rory must surely be very proud that his name continues to resonate in English fields, this time thanks to his son Liam, whose goals are making waves in the Premier League.
Liam Delap, the star striker of the new English generation:
The young English striker (of Irish descent through his father) was one of the sensations last season in the Premier League. Although he couldn’t prevent his club, Ipswich Town, from being relegated, the 22-year-old scored a total of 12 goals in the season, outstanding numbers for a young Premier League debutant.
His strong performances caught the attention of several top English and European teams. However, Chelsea were the team that made the biggest push for him and managed to sign him before the Club World Cup, which is currently underway.
In fact, Enzo Maresca has already given him his debut in this competition, putting in a superb performance in the 26 minutes he played, providing an assist and a goal that has Chelsea fans extremely excited.
Liam and Rory Delap, a father and son destined to become true Premier League legends. A name that is already in the hearts and minds of every English football fan.
Main image: @ChelseaFC.
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