If Harry Kane really does come back to the Premier League, Liam Delap may be one of the players who feels it first. Not because he has done anything wrong, but because Chelsea’s attacking picture could suddenly become even more crowded, and precious little playing time is exactly the kind of phrase that changes a striker’s future very quickly.
Last year, Chelsea tried to sign Liam Delap. Twelve months ago, David Moyes was very keen to bring him to Merseyside. That is the sort of overlap that should make Everton sit up and pay attention now, because Delap has already been on the radar of more than one club with very different immediate needs.
The basic case for Everton is easy to understand. The Toffees needed goals last season, and they did not get enough of them. Thierno Barry scored eight times and Beto scored nine times, which tells you the level Everton were operating at in front of goal. If a club is still searching for a more reliable answer up front, then a Chelsea striker who is not guaranteed minutes elsewhere starts to look a lot more plausible.
Why Everton's interest makes sense
Delap’s Premier League return at Chelsea last season brought only one goal, which is not a number that screams untouchable starter. It is also the kind of return that keeps transfer talk alive, especially when the wider context suggests he may be facing a fight for opportunities rather than a clear path into the team.
That is where the Harry Kane angle matters. If Chelsea do end up with a far more established centre-forward option in the mix, Delap’s route to regular football becomes narrower. For a young striker, that is not a minor detail. It is the difference between staying put and listening much more carefully when another club starts asking questions.
And Everton have reasons to ask. Earlier this summer, rumours emerged that they could be willing to sell Thierno Barry if the right fee was offered, which shows there is still movement to be made in their forward line. If that happens, the Toffees would not just be shopping for another body; they would be looking for someone with a clearer case to lead the attack.
Delap fits that conversation because he sits in the awkward middle ground that defines so many modern transfers. He is not an obvious cast-off, but he is also not a player whose situation looks settled. If he is going to get precious little playing time, then Everton become a far more believable destination than they might have seemed when Chelsea were first trying to sign him.
So, could Everton move for Liam Delap this window? Absolutely. Whether they do depends on how the striker picture changes at both clubs, and on how seriously Chelsea view his role if Harry Kane really does return to the league. But the logic is there, and Everton have already shown they are thinking about their forward line in a very practical way.
For Delap, the next step is simple enough to identify and difficult enough to secure: find the club that can actually offer him the football he needs. If that route closes at Chelsea, Merseyside may well be waiting.
