‘Unlocked’—Liam Rosenior Makes Bold Prediction for Struggling Chelsea Summer Signing

Rosenior was hailed as an “incredible” coach and person by a familiar face in Chelsea’s squad.

Liam Delap (second right) scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea against Fulham earlier this month. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior claimed that Liam Delap has been “unlocked” in recent weeks and promised to improve the club’s struggling No. 9 even further.

Delap had his pick of clubs over the summer. Once it became clear that a relegation clause in his Ipswich Town contract would be activated by the Tractor Boys’ demise last season, a jostling queue of suitors promptly formed around the young English forward available for just £20 million ($26.9 million).

The Blues won the race, beating out the likes of Manchester United and Everton thanks to the promise of immediate silverware, by the player’s own admission. That decision hasn’t quite paid off just yet.

The equaliser in Chelsea’s 2–1 defeat to Fulham last midweek was Delap’s first Premier League goal for his new employers after 560 barren minutes. Injury and suspension has hampered the 22-year-old’s first six months in west London. He heads into the second half of the season with more cards (three) than goals (two) across all competitions.

Liam Delap is the latest player burdened by Chelsea’s No. 9. | Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images

Yet, Rosenior was keen to see the positives in a player he previously coached at Hull City for one Championship season in 2023–24.

“I think the last two performances of Liam, he looks unlocked,” Rosenior recently insisted. “I thought he was outstanding when he came on against Manchester City. He made a huge difference to the team and it was great to see him score at Craven Cottage even though we lost the game.”

Under Rosenior’s watch in Hull, Delap racked up eight Championship goals after starting the campaign as a 20-year-old.

“I have a certain way I work with strikers that Liam knows and there are certain things I know myself and my staff can help him with,” Rosenior teased. “He knows us and what we expect from a No. 9 and the positions they take up in certain areas of the pitch. He is 6'3", can run like the wind and I am looking forward to working with him.”

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Delap: Rosenior Is an Incredible Coach and Person

Liam Delap boasts two goals for Chelsea this season. | GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP/Getty Images

The affection between Rosenior and Delap is evidently mutual. The England hopeful hailed his new manager as “an incredible coach and an incredible person” in a recent interview with Chelsea’s official website.

“I spent a year with him and I think his ideas, his philosophy and how he wants to play football will really suit us and help us,” Delap gushed. “Especially me and a lot of the young boys he helped at Hull, he really helped us progress, and we’re all doing really well.

“I really like his management style. As a person, he’s one of the nicest but can be brutally honest at times. I think as a coach, you need to be that. He will tell you why you’re not playing, he’ll tell you where you need to improve, and he’ll tell you where you’re doing well.”

Back in 2023, Liam Rosenior’s Hull City became the first side to defeat Enzo Maresca’s Leicester City in the Championship that season.

Liam Delap scored the winner.

Now the pair will be reunited at Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/sz22OljFmt

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 6, 2026

Delap’s struggles under Maresca, who also had past experience of coaching the striker in Manchester City’s academy, were to be expected. The bullocking centre forward was crashing into a team that played at a dramatically different tempo to what he had been used to.

Only three Premier League teams progressed the ball up the pitch quicker than Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich last season, while Maresca’s Chelsea were the second-most patient side in the division (often a little too ponderous for many fans).

Yet, as much as tactical, Delap’s issues were also physical. “It was a difficult start for me with injuries; it’s hard when you come to a new club, and you can’t just get a rhythm going,” he sighed this week.

There were 14 minutes on the clock in Delap’s third Premier League appearance for Chelsea before he suffered a hamstring strain which kept him sidelined for two months. A shoulder issue additionally forced the forward to sit out four games in December alone.

There have been no ailments since Christmas and Delap shares Rosenior’s optimism when it comes to his impending improvement. “Right now, game by game, I’m feeling fitter and better,” he declared, “and hopefully I can help the team for the rest of the season.”

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