CHELSEA are ready to rock and roll thanks to Liam and Cole.
Blues ‘brothers’ Liam Delap and Cole Palmer were made in Manchester, at City’s academy, but have been reunited at Stamford Bridge.
And £30million Delap, who netted 12 Premier League goals last season for relegated Ipswich, is the perfect striker for Enzo Maresca’s Masterplan.
He can reinvigorate Palmer – and if this pair start firing, opposition defences will have to build a Wonderwall to stop them.
They will even be side by side with shirt numbers – Delap has taken No9 and Palmer is now No10.
When the Blues signed Palmer, 23, for £42.5m, in what now looks like a cut-price deal, not many knew the talent that they had on their hands – but anyone who had watched City’s youth sides knew, including the club’s former academy coach Maresca.
Delap, 22, can play a vital role for the Blues – he’s electric with his pace, direct running and movement.
He starred alongside ‘secret agent’ Romeo Lavia and Palmer in the youth team under Maresca, his understanding with the latter potentially being what will make him such a potent threat next season.
But it will also improve Palmer, who tailed off last season despite netting 15 Prem goals.
It might seem like it’s half the world away, but in one City Under-21 game against Spurs, they ran out 6-1 winners with Delap hitting a hat-trick, Palmer scoring twice and Lavia netting the other.
Delap and Palmer wasn’t always a Harry Kane and Son Heung-min partnership where both would rack up huge goal contribution numbers – though that did happen enough.
It was more about Delap’s movement and interplay allowing Palmer to be even more dangerous and get into the box with more ease.
We’ve seen in games this season that because Palmer has been a lone threat at times, he can be doubled up on and nullified – but with Delap in the side that becomes much more difficult.
In City’s youth team, Palmer, Felix Nmecha and Samuel Edozie benefited from Delap’s movement, as he would occupy the centre backs and allow Nmecha and Palmer to get shots off inside the box.
In Manchester, Maresca knew how to get the best out of Delap by giving him the same kind of freedom Nicolas Jackson has been given up front, as he could drift wide or drop deep on the premise that when needed he would be in the right place at the right time to get the finishing touch.
When you add the incoming Estevao Willian to that mix, as well as the ever-improving Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez – some might say they will be unstoppable.
It will be interesting to see how the Blues go at the Club World Cup in America, which will hardly be an Oasis of calm.
They will hope Liam and Cole have more success in the USA than Liam and Noel.
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