The decision of the young Man City star to move to Chelsea was a mistake.

These remarks come from Jamie Carragher, who argues that Liam Delap erred in opting to join Chelsea and should have signed with a different Premier League team.

Liam Delap, 23 years old, has scored only 1 Premier League goal for Chelsea since his transfer from Ipswich Town for £30 million last summer. Before Delap arrived at Stamford Bridge, several clubs showed interest. Last season, he still managed to score 12 Premier League goals despite playing for Ipswich, a team that was relegated.

Manchester United came very close to signing Delap, but the former Manchester City forward preferred to move to Chelsea. Carragher considers the move to Chelsea a “bad step” because the jump from Portman Road to Stamford Bridge is “too big.”

“It was a poor choice. Honestly, moving to Chelsea was a poor decision,” said Liverpool legend and former England defender Carragher on the podcast Stick to Football. “I believe young players, while progressing… the leap from Ipswich to Chelsea is too large; he needs an ‘in-between’ club.”

“Somewhere like Everton, for example. If you play as a striker for Everton, you get consistent game time and know that even if you have a few poor matches, you will still play. At Chelsea, he is never guaranteed minutes, even as a starter. Sometimes the jump is too big, and you need an intermediate team.”

Currently, Delap ranks behind Chelsea’s other summer signing, Joao Pedro, in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, former England striker Emile Heskey disagrees with Carragher’s view that Delap was wrong to join Chelsea.

“I think he made the right decision moving to Chelsea last summer. He believes he is good enough to play for a big club, so taking that chance was correct. He understands the pressure of playing for a top team because he came through the Manchester Cityacademy, which will help him. He just needs time to adjust, maybe until next season. I think he will be fine.”

In Chelsea’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Leeds United, Delap came off the bench late and didn’t make much impact. So far, he is among the most underwhelming new signings at Stamford Bridge this season.