Liam Delap, who became the most expensive signing in the history of Nottingham Forest at a value of 45 million pounds, says with a smile as he describes the memories of his rivalry with his younger brother Finn, as they played together in the park: “You can imagine it: he is a defender, and I am a striker!” Today, they are each other's biggest supporters - Liam recently attended brother Finn's win for third-tier club Burton - but as children, they had a fierce friendly rivalry. “There would probably be a lot of tears, and a lot of fights, whether it was Monopoly or soccer,” the older brother says. “It always ended with us either turning the tables or kicking each other hard.”
It is a competitive spirit that is deeply ingrained in Delap, and one that leaves him determined to establish himself at Nottingham Forest. The past 16 months have been very difficult for him; He left Chelsea after one season of a 6-year contract, and after scoring only one goal in 28 Premier League matches, including 12 starts. “There's never a straight road to the top,” says Delap, raising his right hand in the Nottingham Forest meeting room, the 1979 and 1980 European Cups gleaming behind him. I just want to focus on my work and keep improving; Because I'm still very young and I have a lot to learn. Sometimes I feel like I've been in football for a lot longer than I actually am. “I still have a long football career ahead of me, God willing.”
“I think you just have to accept that sometimes things can go wrong, and some negative things can happen, and that might be to your advantage,” he adds. My first loans to Stoke City and Preston (from Manchester City during the 2022-2023 season) were not at all successful, but they were probably some of the best things that happened to me; Because I learned a lot from that season, then I moved to Hull City (for the 2023-2024 season) and went from there. I'm still young, and I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get injured, and sometimes I don't get a chance to play, but I don't think anything is lost, everyone goes through difficult moments. “I just have to take advantage of what happens to learn and move forward.”
Last summer, Delap was highly sought after by many clubs. Oliver Glasner, Nottingham's coach, tells the story of Delap receiving offers from 18 Premier League clubs, and jokes that the 23-year-old knows all the Premier League club coaches thanks to the many Zoom calls he made while deciding on his next move. One of these calls was with Glassner, who was then Crystal Palace's technical director. Nottingham Forest wanted to include him at that time as well. “It was a difficult decision,” Delap recalls. I remember the conversation we had; I really admired him and thought: This guy (Glassner) is very good. He spoke fluently, and you could see he had great success with the strikers he had coached in the past. “It definitely sticks in my mind.”
Delap said in a statement to Forest after joining the team: “I cannot wait to get started, as this is an ancient club with a great history.” He added: “I spoke with the coach and I liked his approach, and I think he may be the person who can really help me develop and take the next step, and I hope to add goals here.”
He continued: “As a team, we can build something very strong, and the main goal is to compete and be one of the major clubs in the English Premier League.”
Glasner wants Delap to play to his strengths: sheer physical strength, the ability to score and finish. At the beginning of the year, a video of Delap showing off his math skills went viral. “I didn't enjoy mathematics at all, but I was always good at it,” the young English striker says. A friend of mine at school taught me how to do it, and I haven't forgotten it. “I hated school and studying, but I was always smart.”
The Austrian coach said that it was clear from his conversations with Delap this summer that the player had learned lessons from the difficult year he went through.
Glassner said: “I think this indicates his position and personality, as he said: (I want a team and a club that appreciates my strengths and wants to use them optimally). Because I never want to change any player: it does not make sense to say: (Okay, now you have to play like Messi: an imaginary striker, go back deep into the field and pass the ball with just one or two touches).”
Delap scored 12 goals for Ipswich, who were relegated in the 2024-25 season, which attracted the attention of many clubs. At the time, Delap was touted as a potential successor to Harry Kane as England's outright striker.
He represented his country at all age groups, and was part of the England Under-16 team with Jude Bellingham. “When I was a young child, all I wanted to do was play for my country’s national team,” Delap says. Therefore; Of course, this is my biggest goal. But it's not that easy. “I have to work hard and improve, and this is all I can do.”
Delap, who stands at 1.87 metres, has long been seen as the next superstar in English football. He led Manchester City to win the “FA Youth Cup” at the expense of Chelsea in 2020, two months after Spanish coach Pep Guardiola gave him the opportunity to make his debut with Manchester City’s first team when he was 17 years old. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, who currently play together at Chelsea, were in the same club's Under-18 squad, along with new Aston Villa defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and James McAtee; One of his closest friends and teammate at Nottingham Forest again after Manchester City.
Delap says about Makati: “He played in the playmaker position, and he often passed the ball to me, and we had a wonderful relationship outside the field, and this was reflected positively on our performance inside the green rectangle. We would get very angry if we didn't win. Perhaps this instilled a winning mentality in us from a young age.
“I think it worked because you can see that almost all the players in this team are now playing in the Premier League, or abroad, or in the First Division, and perhaps that is because we encouraged each other a lot.”
Before his participation against Tottenham in the last round, in a confrontation that ended in a scoreless draw between the two teams, Delap participated for the first time with Nottingham Forest as a substitute against Liverpool at Anfield, and his first notable touch was a quick throw-in that resulted in a penalty kick scored by Morgan Gibbs-White to give his team the lead in the second half.
After the match was tied by two goals, Glasner discovered that Delap's father, Rory, who played for Southampton and Stoke City among others, was also an expert at throw-ins.
“I told him his father would be proud of him,” the Nottingham Forest manager said. Does Liam have the ability to execute throw-ins in an exceptional way? Liam answers: “No... I don’t think so. I am primarily a striker, and I have to be inside the penalty area.”
Delap enjoys the fierce battles on the field. Glasner expressed his admiration for how he dealt with the centre-back players, stressing that the defenders did not show him any friendliness during strong tackles. But Delap, who spent a decade with Derby County before joining Manchester City, says he learned to control his nerves on the field, after periods of trouble as a child. “You have to be careful, but never be ashamed of your personality,” he says. I will always fight for everything, I will always remain fierce and have a desire to achieve my goals. This reminds me of my brother, when we were little kids playing in the park, we were very competitive. Sometimes you need to control yourself, and sometimes you need to be careful, but I believe that I give my best in difficult situations. I love those physical struggles. Since my childhood, I have enjoyed the fierce and competitive side of the game. It's true that it has to be controlled in some moments, but it's part of my style and my personality. I've always had this enthusiasm, and I won't change my way of thinking. The important thing is to always stay on the right side of enthusiasm.”
