Signing a young and talented player is a bit like calling a card on 18 at the blackjack table of Spin Casino. The result can either be a big win or a bit of a disappointment. The odds of an 18-year-old turning out to be a football star are, in turn, much better than hitting a jackpot at Spin Casino. Especially if the player in question is 18-year-old City striker Liam Delap.
And Stoke - owned by one of the country’s biggest betting outlets - seems to like the odds, doing whatever they can to sign the young player.
And, apparently, their discussions were fruitful: Football Insider reports that a breakthrough has been reached, which means that Delap is closer to joining the Potters than ever. On loan, for now.
An impressive youngster
A Winchester native, Liam Rory Delap joined Derby Country’s youth academy at the age of six. He spent a decade at Pride Park Stadium, making a very good impression - so good, in fact, that he was capped for England’s youth national team several times. And Manchester City recruited him in 2019.
After coming of age, Delap joined Manchester City’s first team. He made his debut in an ESL Cup against Bournemouth last September. A few days later, he played his first Premier League match against Leicester. He impressed Guardiola enough for him to assign him to train with the first team ever since. He is considered one of the best players in his age group.
During his last Premier League 2 season, Liam Delap scored 24 goals from 20 matches, and provided 5 assists.
Close to a move
According to a recruitment source cited by the Football Insider, a breakthrough has been reached in the talks between the Citizens and the Potters. This means that the talks have advanced, bringing Delap one step closer to leaving Etihad for Stoke-on-Trent on a loan.
The Potters are hoping to improve their position in the Championship from their current 14th. To this end, they have already beefed up their defence by signing Wilmot.
Trivia
Here’s a piece of trivia: If all goes well, Liam Delap will join his father Rory at Stoke-on-Trent. Rory John Delap has played played with Stoke City between 2007 and 2013, after joining the club on loan from Sunderland in 2006. He played in 180 league games with the club before retiring from active duty. After that, he worked as a coach for Derby Country’s youth academy (at the time, his son Liam was also there), before being promoted to coach the U-21 team. He left Derby in 2018, returning to Stoke City as a first-team coach under manager Gary Rowett.