Liam Delap said he felt frustrated and angry during a difficult spell at Chelsea before securing a 50 million pound transfer to Nottingham Forest this summer, Yahoo Noticias reported.
The 23-year-old forward has rediscovered his scoring touch in the East Midlands after a disappointing year in west London following a 30 million pound move from Ipswich Town in June 2025. He scored twice against his boyhood club Manchester City last weekend to secure a 3-1 victory that lifted Forest out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Those goals brought his tally to three in the league this season, surpassing his entire total from the 2025-26 campaign at Stamford Bridge, where he managed just two goals in 41 appearances across all competitions, with only one coming in the Premier League.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan program, Delap opened up about how those tough months shaped his current mindset and professional approach.
“When the things are not going so well, you learn a lot,” Delap told talkSPORT.
With club fixtures paused for the final international window of 2026, Delap remained in the East Midlands after missing out on selection for England’s upcoming matches against Croatia and Spain.
He has scored 14 goals in 38 appearances across various youth levels for his country, but he is still waiting for his first senior cap under manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of the European Championship in 2028.
“Yes, one hundred percent, it’s what you dream of as a kid,” Delap told talkSPORT when asked about representing the senior national team. “I just have to focus on what I can control, take it game by game with Forest, and see what happens.”
