Chelsea would have been hoping for Liam Delap to be an upgrade on Nicolas Jackson.
The Blues signed Delap from Ipswich Town in the summer before letting Jackson join Bayern Munich on loan, but the 22-year-old has not been able to make much of an impact.
Injuries have restricted opportunities for Delap, who picked up his latest in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth over the weekend.
Pedro Neto can play up front in Delap’s absence, while Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu are more natural options, so Enzo Maresca has alternatives. Nevertheless, Delap’s shoulder injury is a cause for concern.
Here’s what Chelsea’s attack could look like following Liam Delap’s injury. What would you change? 🤔
Chelsea's potential attack without Liam Delap
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An injured Liam Delap of Chelsea holds his shoulder as he speak with Reece James
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Liam Delap’s injury record already worse than Nicolas Jackson’s
As per Transfermarkt, Delap has already missed 10 games this season because of a hamstring injury, and that number is only going to increase after the events of Saturday’s draw with Bournemouth.
In contrast, Jackson was only absent for eight Chelsea games because of injury, all coming in the 2024/25 campaign.
It means Delap has spent more time on the sidelines at Chelsea than Jackson despite having only joined the Club World Cup winners in the summer.
Chelsea had the chance to sign Hugo Ekitike or Benjamin Sesko, why do you think they chose Liam Delap instead?
Both strikers were heavily linked with moves to Stamford Bridge in the summer
Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike smiling and Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko jogging
Credit: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC/Catherine Ivill – AMA via Getty Images
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It is something that the club must be worried about, and it will now be interesting to see if they address the issue in January.
There is already an agreement in place to sign Emanuel Emegha next summer, so that could always be brought forward to the start of 2026.
Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson shake hands during Chelsea FC v Los Angeles Football Club: Group D - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea made mistake loaning out Nicolas Jackson
Hindsight or not, Chelsea’s decision to let Jackson join Bayern on loan now looks like a really bad one.
Bayern are unlikely to sign Jackson permanently, so the Blues will probably not be getting a big fee from the German club for his signature in the future. And with Delap injured again and Pedro not in the best of form right now, Chelsea could do with having Jackson on the pitch.
Again, though, it is all hindsight. With Delap and Pedro both doing well in the Club World Cup, it looked like they were going to be successes at Chelsea this season. Yet in the Premier League, neither has been able to prove that they are a significant upgrade on Jackson.
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