Chelsea quite literally cannot stop scoring — no team has netted more than Enzo Maresca’s men this term — but that isn’t stopping them from wanting more.
Holding the keys to scoring success at Stamford Bridge is one Cole Palmer — ranked the third-best attacking midfielder in the world currently by FourFourTwo — he has the most Premier League goals (11) AND the most assists (6) of anybody in his team.
Nevertheless, the Blues seem to want to try and get more out of him, and it seems they are closing in on a strategy to achieve just that.
Chelsea eye Liam Delap to add firepower to Cole Palmer-led attack
Liam Delap of Ipswich Town celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Aston Villa FC at Portman Road on September 29, 2024 in Ipswich, England.
Liam Delap has made an incredible start with Ipswich Town, and it hasn't gone unnoticed(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap is high on Chelsea’s list, noting a lack of natural no.9 options, with just Nicolas Jackson fitting the bill.
The same reports have noted that his determination, strength and skill are attributes that have made the west London club consider the 21-year-old as a transfer target.
Chelsea's English midfielder Cole Palmer vies for the ball with Liverpool's Curtis Jones
It appears Chelsea want to maximise the returns of Palmer by bolstering their frontline(Image credit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
It suggests that Chelsea want even more from their attack, viewing Delap as a physical presence up front and someone that Palmer, already the creative king at Chelsea, can bounce off to increase his goal involvement even further.
Delap only arrived at Portman Road this summer, in a £20 million deal from Manchester City, but TEAMtalk reports that the Tractor Boys are hopeful of holding their man until at least the end of the season.
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It’s easy to see why Chelsea view Delap as the perfect Palmer partner: the Ipswich forward has already six goals for the top-flight strugglers despite feeding off scraps — imagine what he might achieve with the service of his former fellow City academy product.
Crucially, Pep Guardiola’s side does hold a buyback clause on Delap, and it's reported they haven’t ruled out activating it in the summer, but are unlikely to in January.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the theory works great on paper, but Delap may want to be wary about moving too soon.
He’s only six goals and a handful of appearances into his Premier League career — it’s an incredible start, but he’s got plenty of time ahead of him for a big move.
He will be the main man at Ipswich, having been loaned out and far down the pecking order at City, something which will only enhance his reputation. A turn of bad form at Chelsea, however, and we know just how many top talents they have waiting to step into the breach.