logo
Lineker surprised Arsenal didn't rival Chelsea & Man Utd for 'exciting' striker

Lineker surprised Arsenal didn't rival Chelsea & Man Utd for 'exciting' striker

Metro3 days ago

England legend Gary Lineker is surprised Arsenal did not push harder to sign Liam Delap and believes the striker could be the 'missing ingredient' for Chelsea.
Chelsea beat off strong competition from Manchester United to lure Delap away from Ipswich this summer, with the Blues capturing the 22-year-old forward for a fee of just £30million.
Though Arsenal had been tentatively linked, it's understood the Gunners decided to focus their efforts on other attacking targets overseas, namely RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres.
Delap has put pen to paper on a six-year contract at Stamford Bridge, tying him to the west London giants until 2031.
Cleary desperate to make an immediate impression under Enzo Maresca, the young centre-forward has turned down the chance to represent England at the upcoming Under-21 Championship in order to play for Chelsea at the Club World Cup.
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
'It's an interesting one. I thought maybe Arsenal would go for him. Perhaps they did? I don't know,' ex-England, Tottenham and Barcelona striker Lineker said on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football.
'But Chelsea have got their man. We said many times this season that Chelsea also needed back-up for [Nicolas] Jackson up top, or an alternative.
'I think he's a young, exciting centre-forward.
'I saw someone say they saw a bit of a young Alan Shearer in him. Shearer with a full head of hair!
'I think that's the only thing that Chelsea were missing really.'
Lineker has been impressed by Delap's 'intelligent' movement on the pitch and is confident the attacker has the mentality to succeed at Chelsea.
'Jackson's got something in him, but his finishing isn't as good as a could be and if Delap does realise his full potential, that might just be the missing ingredient. We'll see,' he added.
'What I see in him is movement which is intelligent, I see someone that's not scared… I know that sounds ridiculous for a centre-forward but I judge it on when he's goes one-on-one with the goalkeeper, I think he'll finish, he'll score.
'Certain players you get that and now he's got to prove it at a bigger club. I know he was at Manchester City, but he didn't really feature much there and he has done at Ipswich.
'He's now got to step into the limelight, it's a big club, Chelsea, they won a Chelsea, of course, this season as well, so he'll go into this season with a very good side.
'He'll have to deal with pressure, but you get a feeling that it's not going to faze him and he's a very, very good finisher.
'That's the most important thing, having a cool head in those circumstances, and I think Chelsea have got a good one.
'You can never be sure, obviously, but I've obviously been singing his praises for quite a long time.'
Alan Shearer was similarly upbeat about Chelsea's 'smart' piece of transfer business and feels Delap is 'only going to get better' over the coming years.
'I like him as well. For £30m, I think it's a no-brainer,' the ex-Newcastle and England striker, the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer, chimed in.
'I think Chelsea have got a great deal and I gather that there were other big clubs in for him. More Trending
'For Chelsea to get him at that price, for me, that's very, very good business because he's only going to get better.
'I think he's a bit old-fashioned, he's like a throwback from what a centre-forward was maybe 20 or 30 years ago where they were all in fashion: aggressive, horrible to play against, doesn't mind mixing it up and can run in behind.
'Obviously, he scores goals. The number of goals he scored in a really struggling team, that is only going to get better.
'At his age, his ability he's got now… I think he's got a really bright future and I would have liked to have seen Newcastle get him, but for whatever reason he's decided to go with Chelsea and I think that's a really smart move for them.'
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: PSG urged to sign £65m Arsenal star and Liverpool's 'biggest transfer flop'
MORE: Frustrated Liverpool star fires warning to Arne Slot over his future
MORE: Viktor Gyokeres headache for Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal as new rivals enter race

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle in race to sign £25m Man Utd star on loan
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle in race to sign £25m Man Utd star on loan

Metro

time40 minutes ago

  • Metro

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle in race to sign £25m Man Utd star on loan

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are in the running to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United in the summer transfer window, according to reports. Chelsea confirmed on Wednesday that they are not taking up their £25 million permanent option to sign Sancho following his season-long stint at Stamford Bridge and have paid a £5m penalty fee to send him back to United. Sancho's future is now uncertain as it's understood that Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate the 25-year-old into his squad for United's pre-season campaign. According to The Sun, Sancho has already attracted interest from three Premier League clubs with Spurs, Villa and Newcastle all keeping tabs on the winger's situation at Old Trafford. It's claimed that Villa will aim to secure a loan deal but United are looking for a permanent sale this summer. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Chelsea, who is on a £300,000-a-week deal with United, had the option to sign Sancho permanently for a £25m fee but could not reach an agreement with the winger over personal terms. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have all but ruled out the prospect of re-signing Sancho this summer. More Trending Dortmund signed Sancho from Manchester City for £8m in 2017 and the winger enjoyed the best seasons of his career with the Bundesliga club before his £73m move to United in 2021. Sancho has been linked with a return to Dortmund this summer but the German club's sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, says the club have other priorities. 'Of course, contact with Jadon is always there, in some way, because we have a very long history,' Kehl told Ruhr Nachrichten. 'But that's not an issue for us right now. We have other priorities at the moment, and that's why the Sancho issue may have been more talked about in the media than internally.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Newcastle in transfer talks for Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Burnley stars MORE: Former Premier League star accused of smuggling £48m of cocaine faces 13 years in prison MORE: Arsenal hold meeting with Viktor Gyokeres' agent as striker makes Manchester United transfer call

Auckland coach readies part-time squad for Club World Cup's 'toughest group'
Auckland coach readies part-time squad for Club World Cup's 'toughest group'

Reuters

time42 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Auckland coach readies part-time squad for Club World Cup's 'toughest group'

June 11 (Reuters) - Auckland City's players aren't full-time professionals and many have taken annual leave to compete in the Club World Cup where they face what coach Paul Posa calls "the toughest group". New Zealand's champions, who are fresh from winning the OFC Champions League, will face Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors in Group C of the revamped tournament, which starts on Saturday, and Posa acknowledged their uphill battle. "It's quite possibly the toughest group we could have drawn," Posa, who guided them to fifth place in the old Club World Cup in 2009, told Reuters. "We have two traditional European powerhouses in Bayern Munich and Benfica and Boca Juniors, who are also capable of going all the way." "We have competed in many of the previous versions of the CWC competition which has given us a broad range of experience allowing us to punch above our weight in the past. Our goals are to be prepared, and compete, to the best of our ability," he added. Auckland enter the 32-team tournament months after claiming their 13th Oceania title and fourth in succession. Yet despite continental success, football remains a part-time commitment for the squad. "All of the players have other jobs alongside their football commitments," said Posa. "However, they have an extraordinary dedication to their football outside of their working hours. "Players have had to take annual leave from their jobs... Indeed some of the players were unable to take time to attend both the OFC Champions League competition and the Club World Cup." The mid-June to mid-July tournament timing means it falls during Auckland's season rather than after it, as the previous version of the competition did. "The challenge of having the CWC fall in the middle of the season has been ensuring that players are in top form at the right times - however I believe we're on track to achieve this," said Posa. Serving as caretaker coach for Albert Riera, who's away for family reasons, Posa previously managed Auckland from 2008-2010. During the 2009 Club World Cup, they defeated UAE's Shabab Al Ahli and DR Congo's TP Mazembe to finish fifth. The 63-year-old acknowledged how difficult it would be to repeat his 2009 success: "It's nice to dream we could be that competitive again - however, we're realistic about the challenge." While temporary, Posa has maintained Auckland's established playing style. "It has not been difficult to maintain a playing philosophy that has evolved at Auckland City over many years. Of course, every coach puts their own fingerprint on a team," he said. This stability underpins Auckland's continued success. "This comes down to building on experience gained in previous competitions and a consistent focus on being well organised and prepared, both on and off the pitch," Posa said. "The culture surrounding the team is such that they always want to win and motivating them is no problem at all."

Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen
Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen

All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue. The Chelsea ace has made a demand the club can't currently can't meet OUT OF THE BLUE OUT OF THE BLUE Chelsea star, 25, ASKED to be left out of Club World Cup squad to secure transfer exit with Premier League rivals keen Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CHELSEA ace Djordje Petrovic asked to be left out of the Club World Cup squad to focus on his future. Petrovic, 25, enjoyed a successful loan stint at Strasbourg this past season and recently returned to the Blues' squad. 4 Chelsea ace Djordje Petrovic asked to be left out of the Club World Cup squad 4 Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca agreed to omit Petrovic so that he can focus on his future 4 Watch EVERY match of the Club World Cup 2025 live on DAZN And following his impressive performances in Ligue 1 the goalkeeper wants to be a guaranteed starter, something the West Londoners cannot offer him. According to The Telegraph, that is why the Serbia international asked to be omitted from manager Enzo Maresca's squad for the Club World Cup. Chelsea chiefs understand Petrovic's position and thus relations between the player and the club remain good. Thus, both parties agreed that Petrovic would be best served trying to sort out his future instead of travelling to the US. WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN And should the keeper fail to secure a permanent move away to another club that meets his demands then he will rejoin Chelsea for pre-season training in July. Strasbourg have expressed an interest in signing the Serbian permanently this summer. However, there is also interest from various Premier League sides - West Ham being one of them - as well as teams from Europe. Chelsea were planning to include Petrovic in their Club World Cup squad had he not asked to be left out regardless of their recent bid to land AC Milan star Mike Maignan. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The Blues' £12.7million offer wasn't accepted by Milan, who demand almost double despite Maignan having only one year left on his contract and refusing to extend. The West Londoners could revisit their attempt to sign the France international when the summer transfer window reopens on June 16. Inside Chelsea's Strasbourg talent factory as angry fans fight identity crisis However, Maresca still has faith in his other goalkeepers Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen and Mike Penders, which is also a reason why Petrovic couldn't be guaranteed a starting role. Andrey Santos, who also played for Strasbourg last season, is the only loanee to be included in the Club World Cup squad. The same doesn't apply for Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, while new signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr will be flying to the US.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store