3 reasons why Delap will be huge upgrade on Jackson as Chelsea close in transfer

Chelsea comes after a movement of £ 30 million for Ipswich's highly appreciated striker Liam Delap.

Delap came to Ipswich from Manchester City last summer for just £ 20 million.

And it is now available for only £ 30 million after the tractor boys have fallen thanks to a relegation clause.

Delap, 22, scored 12 goals despite being relegated – compared to 10 by Chelsea's current main striker Nicolas Jackson.

Sunssport's tactics expert Lee Evans has looked at what makes Delap so good and what he would bring to Chelsea

Movement of the last line

Delap has surprised many people this season on Ipswich.

He spent the previous campaign on loan with Hull in the championship and his shape did not suggest that he would conquer the Premier League Stormender's as he.

One of the biggest surprises was Delap's smart.

The young striker has shown an unexpected ability to play on the last line, but still create room for himself.

When Ipswich attacks, we often see Delap covered by two or three defenders.

But he makes routine smart runs that give him the benefit of the opposition.

His movement is very intelligent, but it is the timing of these runs that really has an impact and enables Delap to create space for himself.

In the example above we see a smart movement of Delap, where he creates the attack for the first time before he times his arrival in space to end up comfortably.

He picks up the ball and drives forward before he releases it wide.

The attacker then goes into the space to pick up the cross and finish the first time.

This is in contrast with Jackson, who often distributes his runs and is regularly caught offside

The blues saw their shape dramatically diving in the second half of the season and suffering from Cole Palmer.

To get the best out of Palmer, Chelsea has to add a striker with the Delap movement profile.

The former MAN City star can try smart runs to get the most out of the quality passes that we usually see from Palmer.

Chelsea will take a player with the presence, athletics and intelligent movement to really help them break down teams that are in a deeper defensive block.

Delap would of course push back defensive lines and offer Palmer space to go behind, but he is also able to receive and link the piece around him.

Chelsea has to add a modern profile of Spits for next season and Delap must be high on their list.

Intelligent movement in the area

Modern strikers that thrive on running and attacking space behind the line of defense often struggle with their movement in tighter spaces, including the penalty area.

This is not the case with Delap.

One of the most interesting aspects of its development with Ipswich this season has been with his movement to create his own space within the opposition penalty area.

He has developed into an instinctive striker with excellent timing when he is looking for balls in the area.

Delap has the traditional size and shape of a goalkeeper is strong in attacking crosses.

Jackson, on the other hand, lacks the physical presence as an aerial photo.

And his movement in the box means that he is often too late or too early to meet a cross.

However, Delap's movement, anticipation and the timing of his first step make him really effective in the area.

He makes strong runs about the defender to attack the space and tends to get to the cross at the right time.

In the example above, Delap is initially insulated as the only Ipswich player in the Aston Villa -Penalty area.

While the ball is being worked wide, the man shifts the ball in possession and drives over a good low cross.

As soon as the broad player began to shift his feet, Delap read the intention with a smart run over the face of the defender to end the goalkeeper.

Chelsea desperately needs a clinical striker that can end.

They finished fourth in the table and had a higher XG than Arsenal, but scored fewer goals than Brentford and Brighton.

Pace to stretch the field

One of the striking things about Delap this year has been his strength in attacking the space behind defensive lines.

For the most part, Ipswich has confronted with teams with more possession of the ball and as such the opposition has pushed their defense higher.

This in turn meant that Ipswich generally had room to prevent the attack with more direct passes, giving Delap into space.

In the modern game, more and more teams are looking for long and powerful strikers that have the pace and the ability to run behind and force the opposition to defend in space.

That fits nicely with Delap's profile. He can stretch the space and cause real danger to his team when they try to attack quickly from deeper areas.

Delap has the opportunity to peel the defender to create space for himself before they quickly make runs to attack the space.

His teammates know that they can quickly hit fit to let him into space.

Conclusion

Football is in Delap's blood. His father Rory played for Stoke City and Delap JR appeared on the set of Voetbal AM in 2014 alongside his father.

The former Stoke City and Ireland midfielder is best remembered for his incredibly long throw-ins.

Delap JR can be the player to help click things for Chelsea and bring them to the next level.

If he can absolutely get the best from Palmer, and vice versa, then the blues will certainly return to their absolute best.

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