Former Chelsea striker, Jimmy Floyd, Hasselbaink has advised Liam Delap to leave Stamford Bridge this summer in search of regular playing time, insisting the young forward cannot afford another frustrating campaign on the sidelines.
Delap joined Chelsea in a £30m deal in 2025 after Ipswich Town were relegated from the Premier League.
The England youth international impressed during his maiden top-flight season at Portman Road, scoring 12 league goals.
Despite arriving with high expectations, the 21-year-old found opportunities difficult to come by under Enzo Maresca and later Liam Rosenior, with Joao Pedro preferred as Chelsea’s main attacking option.
Delap managed only one Premier League goal throughout the season, and Chelsea are reportedly open to his departure.
Everton have been linked with a move, while the Blues are said to be seeking around £40m for the striker after paying £30m to sign him from Ipswich.
Hasselbaink believes the best solution for Delap is to secure consistent game time elsewhere, even if it means leaving on loan.
“He needs football. He can’t have another season like he had at Chelsea,” he told WhoScored’s The State of Play podcast.
“If that means he needs to go out on loan, he needs to do it, because he’s too young to sit on the bench.
“He needs to kickstart his career again, score goals, and get that feeling back because every time he played for Chelsea, it felt a little bit like he was up against it.
“He needs to get the confidence of the manager that says, ‘Don’t worry with the first or second, just go and play’. I think he can be a top four club kind of striker, but he needs games.”
