Thursday morning in England landed on a transfer: Nottingham Forest signed Liam Delap from Chelsea in a club-record deal, at least £45m and up to £50m with add-ons. He is 23. Chelsea paid £30m for him last summer after Ipswich went down. In a blue shirt he managed 47 appearances and three goals. At Ipswich in 2024/25 he scored 12 in 37. Forest needed a centre-forward after Taiwo Awoniyi left for Coventry for £9m.
Why the fee only looks odd from outside
Fifty million for a striker with three Chelsea goals looks rich. The market is the other half of the story. The relegation release clause last summer drew a crowd; Chelsea set a price and waited. If the add-ons hit, the profit on a £30m buy can reach £20m. Delap never became Stamford Bridge’s No.9. Forest are buying the version that already scored in this league, not the brand.
For Chelsea it also clears cap space. For Forest the timing is not decorative: Saturday is Liverpool at Anfield. He may not start. The announcement still belongs to this week, with the window open and the front line already short of Awoniyi.
La Liga tonight, Madrid yesterday
Spain plays while London counts. Celta host Osasuna at Balaídos at 21:30 Moscow. Barcelona face Athletic at Camp Nou at 22:00. Barça sit on three points after 0–5 at Elche last week, the best goal difference in the division after one match. Athletic are on zero after losing to Sevilla. On Wednesday Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4–1 at the Bernabéu and lead on six points from two games, level with Sevilla and Betis. Betis won 1–0 at Mestalla on Tuesday.
Delap’s move does not change the Spanish table. It does set the day: summer is still open, leagues are already counting. Tonight two La Liga games. From Friday, Premier League Matchweek 2 starts with Crystal Palace versus Manchester City.