Former Super Eagles forward Yakubu Aiyegbeni has offered a cautious welcome to reports linking Liam Delap with a move to Everton, while stressing that the club must bring in a striker capable of delivering consistently every weekend.

Speaking in an interview with ToffeeWeb, Aiyegbeni acknowledged that Delap had impressed during his time at Ipswich before making a significant step up to Chelsea — a transition that the striker has found challenging.

"When you look at Delap, he did very well at Ipswich, scoring goals, and then moved to Chelsea. It's a massive leap from Ipswich to Chelsea," Aiyegbeni said. "He's found it difficult. To bring him from Chelsea to Everton, it's not going to be easy."

The search for a reliable striker

The Nigerian legend was candid about the scarcity of quality centre-forwards across football. "Even me, I've been looking around and there are not too many strikers around in the world — they're all wingers," he said.

Despite his reservations, Aiyegbeni stopped short of dismissing Delap as an option entirely. "He's not a bad player to bring here. It would be a massive boost to the team, but can he do the same as he did at Ipswich? Who knows. He could come in and start scoring goals. He could come in and not score goals. The Premier League is one of the toughest leagues in the world."

More than one signing needed

The former Everton striker made clear that reinforcing the attack is only part of what the club requires this summer. He identified a right-back, a midfielder, and a striker as the three priority positions — amounting to three or four new arrivals in total.

"We just need a striker, a right-back, a midfielder as well who can deliver. We need three or four players," he said. "It's a shame Coleman has retired — the captain. We've been struggling for a right-back. A right-back, a midfielder, and if we have a striker who can score goals, we'll be fine."

Everton's need for attacking reinforcements has grown increasingly urgent, with Delap emerging as one of the names most prominently mentioned in connection with Goodison Park ahead of the summer transfer window.