Now he is getting back to full fitness, Liam Delap has the chance to nail down the number nine role at Chelsea for the busy upcoming period.
Delap picked up an injury in August and remained on the sidelines for nearly two months as the Blues struggled to find someone to take the reins up front.
The Englishman will need to hit the ground running soon if he is to hold off the club’s potential advances for a new striker in the upcoming transfer window.
Endrick has been linked with a move to Chelsea, after the Brazilian’s career has not yet worked out since his move to Real Madrid.
Would Endrick be a good signing for Chelsea?
Enzo Maresca’s system only really includes one striker, leaving Delap having no one to combine with in a front two.
However, when asked who his ideal partner would be, he named former Chelsea star Diego Costa as one of his top two, alongside Luis Suarez.
Diego Costa celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Swansea City in the Premier League.
Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images
The Spain international only actually featured for the Blues for three seasons, and his time was brought to a swift end by manager at the time, Antonio Conte.
The now Napoli boss, who will host Chelsea in the Champions League this season, decided that he wanted to build with Alvaro Morata up top, however that decision failed to pay off.
Delap can only dream of Costa’s electric start at Chelsea
Despite it now being mid-November, Delap is still in the early matches of his Chelsea career.
Liam Delap celebrates during Chelsea v AC Milan - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
He has made six appearances this season, although only starting twice, and is yet to find the net.
Costa meanwhile had 10 goals in his first nine games, firing Jose Mourinho towards what would be his third Premier League title.
Starting with games against Burnley and league leaders Arsenal, Delap has a fantastic chance to start to replicate the club’s former striker, and keep the Blues in the hunt for an unlikely title triumph.