LIAM DELAP is off the mark – after putting Chelsea in the black.
Or at least in terms of the striker’s £30million arrival from Ipswich just three weeks ago.
Liam Delap celebrates firing his first ever goal for Chelsea[/caption]
Delap slotted the Blues’ second in a comfortable win over Tunis[/caption]
Delap angled his first goal for the Blues as a 3-0 win over ES Tunis booked a place in the Club World Cup knockout stages.
And reaching the last 16 means Chelsea have already earned £33.8m from the controversial tournament.
That more than covers the 22-year-old’s transfer fee.
Admittedly, the £3.8m extra that the Blues have so far picked up in the CWC won’t stretch much beyond paying the first half a year of Delap’s sizable salary.
The former England Under-21 star signed on at Stamford Bridge until 2031 for around £100,000 a week – £5.2m every 12 months.
Chelsea didn’t even have to break sweat in the fierce heat of the USA to make the opening £25m from the CWC.
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The summer buy admits he loves the ‘aggressive’ side of frontplay[/caption]
Because that sum was just for participating in the 64-team tournament.
The Blues then got nothing in more senses than one in their first Group D clash as Flamengo roared back to triumph 3-1.
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But victories over Los Angeles and Tunis scooped £1.5m each.
That’s £3m – with a further £5.8 m added on for making the KO phase.
Cold hard cash – after bringing in a forward known for his bold, hard play, something akin to an old-fashioned targetman.
Delap revealed he’s relishes that bash-and-grab side of the game.
He said: “Yeah, I love those battles. I always have since I was a kid.
“I really love the aggressive side of it and the competitive nature of the squad.
“It’s got to be controlled at times but it’s my game ultimately and I enjoy it.”
And he’s also far from fazed at Chelsea handing him the No.9 shirt.
Big-name stars Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain and Romelu Lukaku all struggled for the Blues in that TOP.
But Delap told talkSPORT: “I chose it. At the end of the day, it’s just a number on the back of your shirt.
“The number nine has always been related to strikers, so it’s something I like, but there is no pressure.
“It’s too early of course to judge if Delap will be a hit with that top.
But financially, his numbers are already more than adding up for Chelsea.
