Nottingham Forest's Liam Delap: 'I play at my best on the edge of being horrible'
Quick summary
Nottingham Forest striker Liam Delap discusses his aggressive playing style and mentality in a Guardian feature interview.
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Attributed to original sourceAfter a difficult year at Chelsea the striker hopes to get his career back on track at the City Ground
“You can imagine it: he’s a centre-back, I’m a striker,” says Liam Delap, Nottingham Forest’s £45m club-record signing , smiling as he sets the scene. He is reliving taking on his younger brother, Finn, in the garden. These days, they are each other’s biggest supporters – Liam attended Finn’s victory for third-tier Burton on Wednesday – but as kids there was a friendly rivalry. “There were probably a lot of tears, a lot of fights … whether it was playing Monopoly or football, it always ended in either the table being flipped or kicking the shit out of each other.”
It is a competitive streak that has stuck and Delap is determined to make his presence felt at Forest, for whom he could make his full debut against Tottenham on Saturday. It has been a testing 16 months; he left Chelsea a season into a six-year contract and after one goal in 28 top-flight appearances, a dozen of those starts. “It is never a linear path straight to the top,” Delap says, his right hand taking flight in the City Ground boardroom, the 1979 and 1980 European Cups shimmering behind him. “I just want to get my head down, focus and keep improving because I’m still so young and I have so much to learn. I even at times probably think I’ve been in football a lot longer than I have. I’ve still, hopefully, got a long career ahead.
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What happened
Liam Delap, the Nottingham Forest striker, speaks to The Guardian about his combative approach to football, saying he performs best when operating on the edge of what could be considered 'horrible' play. The feature explores his mentality, physical style, and how he has developed as a forward. The piece profiles Delap as a player who embraces the physical and confrontational side of the game as a core part of his identity.
Chance analysis
Player profile features like this offer a window into the mentality and tactical identity of a key squad member. Delap's self-described aggressive style suggests Forest value a direct, physical focal point in attack — the kind of profile that can set the tone for a team's pressing and hold-up play. For supporters, it signals a player comfortable embracing the rough edges of the Premier League, which could be a cultural asset in a team looking to establish itself among the elite.
No direct impact on upcoming matches; this is a personality feature that provides background on Delap's playing style and mentality.