Chelsea striker Liam Delap has claimed that he decided to join the blues because of his desire to win trophies.
Manchester United agreed personal terms with the former Ipswich striker and were also prepared to meet his £30 million release clause.
At one point, United were “optimistic” he would join the club but he eventually decided to turn down a move to Old Trafford and instead, gave his approval to a transfer to Chelsea.
United have since moved on to other attacking targets such as Bryan Mbeumo and Victor Gyokeres is still a name frequently rumoured with a move to the Red Devils.
Reliable journalist Andy Mitten suggested that Delap turned down United owing to the club’s league position and also the uncertainty around Ruben Amorim’s future as head coach.
In the English striker’s first interview as a Chelsea player, he suggested another reason why he viewed Stamford Bridge as a better fit than Old Trafford.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official website he claimed that his move to Ipswich last year was about getting as many minutes as possible.
Nonetheless, he will certainly face greater competition for places owing to Chelsea’s massive squad of players.
Despite the competition he claimed, “growing up watching this club, I understand the stature of it and how incredible it has been over the years.”
In what could be considered a dig at Ruben Amorim’s side he also added, “I wanted to come here to win trophies. When I spoke to the club, everyone wanted to get back to the very top, and they have the quality and the players to do that.”
He elaborated, “the hunger and desire to keep adding trophies, to take the club back to where it belongs, that is the main objective.”
The blues did win the Conference League last month whereas United fell at the final hurdle in the Europa League final. Moreover, the pull of Champions League football at Chelsea could also have been a decisive factor in his move.
Nonetheless, United fans will be cheered up by the fact that both Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo have stated their preference to join the club despite the lack of European football on offer next season.
Featured image Richard Pelham via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
