PAT Nevin knows a bit about what makes a good centre forward after playing with Chelsea legend Kerry Dixon, among others.
And Nevin is urging Blues fans to give time to prove he can lead ’s team from the front.
Pat Nevin has preached patience towards Chelsea striker Liam DelapCredit: Getty
The Chelsea icon said the forward needed more time to prove himself in West LondonCredit: Getty
Delap is yet to find his feet after .
A lot of that is down to the hamstring injury he suffered in his third game which kept him out for a number of weeks.
A red card in his comeback game against in the did not help, either.
Some fans are already calling for the transfer of from sister club Strasbourg to be brought forward to January.
But Nevin said: “It’s too early. There’s nowhere near enough time to really decide whether it’s going to work.
“There are certain players that if I had them in front of me, I’d be delighted. And he’s certainly one of them.
“He may be judged by some people for not getting 25 goals a season.
“I wouldn’t judge him on that. I would judge him on how the team’s doing.
“There’s unbelievably few players in world who get 25 or 30 goals a season.
“But others create something else that the rest of the team can work off.
Delap has struggled to get up to speed after suffering a serious injury early in the season
“And I think the selflessness of Delap is very, very good and very helpful for Chelsea.”
Nevin was a popular figure at Chelsea during his five-year spell at between 1983 and 1988, which overlapped with Dixon and David Speedie.
He went on to play at and Tranmere, providing service for John Aldridge on the Wirral.
The former Scotland international insists the key qualities required for a frontman remain pretty similar today.
Nevin said: “It’s all about intelligent movement by the striker.
“Chelsea have Delap and .
“I suspect Delap is the one that would probably be used more as the, inverted commas, ‘battering ram’ to some degree, but that’s to take nothing away from his skills.
“If you’re playing a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-4-1, and Chelsea tend to play both, he’s running it long, he’s stretching the game, he’s developing that space in behind, between the opposition’s midfield and the opposition’s defence.
“I would love playing behind a guy like that. If you’re , that’s brilliant. If you’re , that’s amazing, because you’ve just developed all the space for me.
“So Delap’’s great for that. It’s a shame he’s been injured, but he absolutely works for that.
“And if you try that system and that method and it’s not working, fair enough, put Joao Pedro up there and he’ll do something completely different.”
Nevin also points out Delap, Joao Pedro and the rest of the Chelsea team have suffered from not having Palmer around much because of injury.
Cole Palmer’s absence has had an effect on his teammatesCredit: Getty
And once Palmer returns, it will take time for Delap and other new players to build their relationship with the Blues’ No 10.
Nevin said: “You have to work on understanding where they like to go.
“If you’re Delap, you’re desperate to get Cole Palmer back because you know wherever you move – you’ll change your run a couple of times – you’re never looking at Cole Palmer.
“You know he’s going to drop it in there where you’re going. It’s a kind of joyous thing.
“I loved the fact that I kind of knew where Kerry Dixon would go.
“I had a great understanding on the field with David Speedie – not so much off, but we get on very well now!
“I think it was a very good decision to buy Delap. I think it will work.”
With Palmer allegedly due back soon and a frantic fixture schedule about to begin, Delap should have the chance to prove Nevin right.
Pat Nevin has writen two memoirs about his playing career, “The Accidental Footballer” and “Football and How to Survive it” and is taking part in the St Andrew’s Book Festival in London later this month. Nevin, fellow author Stephen Walsh and broadcaster Dougie Donnelly will chat all things sport at an event in St Columba’s Church (Sanctuary) on Friday November 28 from 8pm to 9pm.
St Andrew’s Book Festival website: https://www.standrewsbookfestival.org/
Tickets are on sale from: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/standrewsbookfestival
Chelsea are headed into a busy period in their fixture schedule
YOUNG STARS SHINING
Watching Chelsea’s youngsters shine is the best part of the international break for any fan, and in this one in particular, the Blues’ youths were on FIRE.
Not one, but TWO starlets scored hat-tricks for , as Jesse Derry scored three for England‘s u19’s, while Mathis Eboue, the son of cult hero Emmanuel Eboue, grabbed a treble for the u17’s.
Eboue is already being likened to on social media, an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing, and is extremely technically gifted.
As for Derry, the winger has been tearing it up since joining from in the summer
The athletic son of former QPR midfielder Shaun Derry scored a belter from outside the box against Latvia to cap off his three-goal display, making it nine goals and two assists in his last eight games for club and country.
Mathis Eboue, son of Emmanuel Eboue, bagged himself a hat-trick on international dutyCredit: Getty
In the senior internationals, there was a lovely moment for Chelsea’s ‘baby Aguero’ Dastan Satpaev.
The Kazakh striker, who has only just turned 17, scored his first-ever international goal against , firing past goalkeeper . Satpaev will join Chelsea in August 2026.
Obviously, Estevao scored for at the Emirates, too. After finding the net at Arsenal’s home ground, he will aim to do the same when the Gunners visit the Bridge a week on Sunday.
SCOUT SCOUTED
Working in football is a dream for many, and one that came true for a Chelsea fan last week.
In fact, the 20-year-old has been given a professional role as a first-team scout by ‘ Como FC.
Felix Johnston, though, hasn’t taken a traditional route to his desired career – he made his name on X, by covering all things related to Chelsea’s brilliant Cobham setup.
After becoming one of the go-to names for Cobham news – alongside the Chelsea Files, of course – Johnston was picked up by Como and given a proper chance.
Analyst Felix Johnston has joined Cesc Fabregas’ Como in ItalyCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
A conspiracy was also floated that Chelsea will already have their eyes on Johnston, as he appeared on the radio claiming that football’s next big talent was Deinner Ordonez, days BEFORE he was signed by Chelsea.
However, the Blues’ chief South American scout Alysson Marins has proved time and time again that his and his colleague’s recruitment is to the world’s highest level.
Still, never say never, and perhaps a new Cobham-Como pipeline might just open up around the corner.
AGENT ENZO
Chelsea fans can thank for having one of the world’s best midfielders on their hands.
The Argentine revealed his little-known role in bringing to Stamford Bridge to Koora Break over the international break.
Fernandez said: “When I found out that Chelsea wanted him, obviously, I was the first to call him because, well, he is South American.
“The club asked me on their behalf to try to talk to Moises so that he could come.
Enzo Fernandez revealed that he has a direct role in bringing Moises Caicedo to ChelseaCredit: Getty
Caicedo has been one of Chelsea’s top performers this season across the pitch
“Obviously I did, and I wanted a player like Moises to come, an incredible player who contributes a lot to the team. We recognise his importance and his humility.
“The connection is very good, we have a great relationship off the pitch and a great connection on the pitch.”
Fernandez has done very few interviews, if any, since he was involved in a racism row in the summer of 2024.
THE HEAT IS ON
CHELSEA called on an old friend to aid their triumphant campaign in the summer.
One of the biggest challenges for clubs in the States, as well as those preparing for the World Cup next summer, is the weather.
aired his frustration over infuriating weather delays earlier this year while the heat is expected to cause huge problems next summer.
Chelsea’s former academy coach, Eric Ramsay, is now in charge of side, Minnesota United.
Eric Ramsay has been in contact with Enzo Maresca over ways to work around heat and time changesCredit: Getty
Ramsay, who worked with the likes of , and in the Blues academy, took a Stamford Bridge analyst with him to Minneapolis.
And the two of them were advising the Blues over how to manage the weather and time zone changes over the summer.
Ramsay told SunSport: “We’ve got a strong Chelsea link here.
“They experienced a little microcosm of what you experience over an entire season here with the delays for lightning which are insanely frustrating.
“There’s been a lot of conversations about how they navigated that, how we navigated that.
“It takes some real nuance and subtlety to it.
“You come here with a game model in mind with all the best will in the world and it will undoubtedly fall foul to some mental combination of weather, delay, heat, time zone swing.”
Former Chelsea boss could do worse than to contact Ramsay.
WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS
dropped in to a walking football session on Tuesday as Chelsea prepared to step up their winter charity campaign.
The Magic of Blue initiative aims to tackle loneliness throughout the community and includes a tie-up with Age UK.
Hato met participants at a session organised by the Chelsea Foundation after women’s captain attended a similar event recently.
Magic of Blue has a number of strands and will move in to a new phase on Thursday.
The Foundation, working with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, will host collection points for fans to donate gifts on home matchdays at both Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow between November 20 and December 13.
The items they would like range from blankets, gloves and scarves to provide warmth for the homeless and those in need, to craft kits, puzzles and crossword books to brighten the festive season for those experiencing loneliness.
Collections will be held at the women’s team’s game against on Thursday at the Bridge and the men’s clash with the Catalan giants next Tuesday.
Chelsea will also donate a proportion of profits from their festive merchandise range to Age UK and other charities, including partners of the CST.
For more details, go to https://www.chelseafc.com/en/the-magic-of-blue
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
