Ex-Chelsea captain Gary Cahill claims Liam Delap has a genuine chance of being the club’s top scorer next season.

Cole Palmer has led the scoring charts over the past two campaigns, but speaking to BetMGM, Cahill says Delap possesses the ability to find the back of the net for the Blues on a regular basis:

“I’ve always said they needed a proper 20-goal-a-season striker and I think Liam Delap fits the bill perfectly. He looks great business to me and I think he’ll do really well at Chelsea.”

“Cole Palmer has been the top goalscorer the last two seasons, and we all know how talented he is, but he’s a midfielder at the end of the day. Chelsea need a striker scoring the majority of their goals if they want to go to the next level.”

“A striker that scores 20-plus goals a season is worth, I can’t tell you how many league positions… and that’s why they are so hard to come by.”

Delap will be backed by his manager

Head coach Enzo Maresca worked with the striker during his time at Manchester City and he said the decision to bring him to Stamford Bridge was an “easy” one.

Maresca mentioned how Delap scored 24 goals when he managed City’s Under 21s to the Premier League 2 title, but performing to the same standard at senior level is a different matter entirely.

The 22-year-old did show his capabilities at Ipswich Town, scoring 12 times, but it remains to be seen if he can become an elite scorer.

While Palmer managed the feat in 2023, the last time a Chelsea forward scored 20 league goals was Diego Costa. Former Blues defender Paul Parker has previously compared Delap to the Spanish international so, hopefully, that’s a good omen.

In other news, Chelsea are interested in signing a Real Madrid striker for £34m