Delap returns to boost Chelsea’s struggling attack

Chelsea striker Liam Delap is set to return from a hamstring injury as manager Enzo Maresca looks to reignite his side’s faltering attack. 

The 22-year-old has missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in August but is expected to feature in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Wolves. 

His comeback comes at a crucial time for the Blues, who suffered a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland at the weekend, a result Maresca blamed on “a lack of creativity” and poor crossing.

Delap’s return offers Chelsea another attacking option amid ongoing struggles in front of goal. Signed for £30m from Ipswich Town in the summer, the England Under-21 striker arrived alongside £55m Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, forming part of a new-look frontline. 

While Pedro started brightly with five goals in his first seven matches, he has now gone seven games without scoring, and Maresca admitted the Brazilian, along with Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, needs to be “protected” due to fatigue. 

The manager also cautioned that Pedro “is not a number nine who will score 20 goals a season” but praised his creativity and link-up play.

Teen sensation Estevão Willian has shown flashes of brilliance with two goals and an assist, but has yet to deliver consistently.

The team’s top scorers so far are midfielders Fernández and Caicedo, each with four goals, a statistic that highlights Chelsea’s lack of a clinical finisher.

Despite the lack of attacking output, Maresca insisted that responsibility for scoring must be shared across the front line. 

The Italian manager has, however, found other ways to make his side competitive Chelsea are currently second in the Premier League for set-piece goals, just behind Arsenal, and are the first team in the division to have 10 different scorers this season.

Delap’s return also rekindles talk of Chelsea’s infamous number nine curse. The shirt, vacant since 2023, has haunted several strikers over the past two decades from Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku to Gonzalo Higuaín and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, all of whom failed to replicate their previous scoring form at Stamford Bridge.