Chelsea have suffered a major setback ahead of their clash against Brentford. Their new summer signing Liam Delap has sustained a hamstring injury during the Blues’ 2-0 win against Fulham before the international break. The 22-year-old forward had a promising start to life in west London.
However, it was cut short as he was forced off just 14 minutes into the game against Fulham at Stamford Bridge. Delap arrived at Chelsea in a £30 million move from Ipswich Town. Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the severity of the injury in the pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Brentford.
He revealed, “Liam Delap will be out for 10-12 weeks, unfortunately it’s a long way to go.” The positive news is that surgery will not be required. This leaves the club hopeful that the striker could return as early as November. But the more realistic outlook suggests that he will not feature until December.
The injury has left Chelsea light in the final third department. This has prompted coach Maresca to recall Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland less than a month after it began. Joao Pedro arrived from Brighton earlier in the summer.
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He is also expected to lead the line in Delap’s absence. Meanwhile youngster Tyrique George remains a backup option after making a brief appearance against Fulham. Additionally, Nicolas Jackson was a part of Maresca’s plans last season.
Unlike Guiu, Jackson has sealed a late loan move to Bayern Munich even though the Blues initially tried to block the transfer because of Delap’s setback. Hence, with Jackson gone, the responsibility now falls heavily on Pedro and Guiu to deliver goals during Chelsea’s crucial stretch of fixtures.
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There was some encouragement for the Blues as Cole Palmer edges closer to a return from a groin injury. The English striker has missed Chelsea’s last two wins but he has taken part in partial training sessions this week. Palmer’s return would be a timely boost for Chelsea.
They are now preparing for a demanding schedule in both domestic and European competitions. Maresca noted: “When he [Palmer] is available, we need to manage him because of the amount of games.” Last season, Palmer contributed 18 goals and 13 assists, making him one of the team’s most influential players.
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