LIAM DELAP is off the mark – after putting Chelsea in the black.
At least in terms of the striker’s £30million arrival from Ipswich just three weeks ago.
GettyLiam Delap celebrated firing his first ever goal for Chelsea[/caption]
GettyDelap slotted the Blues’ second in a comfortable win over Tunis[/caption]
Delap angled his first ever goal for the Blues as a 3-0 win over ES Tunis booked a place in the Club World Cup knockout stages.
Reaching the last 16 means Chelsea have already earned £33.8m from the CWC.
That more than covers the 22-year-old’s transfer fee – by £3.8m, in fact.
Admittedly, that extra bit barely pays the first eight months of Delap’s salary.
The former England Under-21 ace signed on at Stamford Bridge for around £100,000 a week – £5.2m every year until 2031.
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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GettyThe 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 from 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 another £5.8m for making the KO phase.
Cold, hard cash – after bringing in a forward known for his bold, hard play.
Delap relishes that bash-and-grab side of the game, something like that of an old-fashioned targetman.
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 iconic 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 adding up for Chelsea.
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