‘So sad’ – Chelsea fans devastated as new Liam Delap update emerges
Chelsea fans are even more worried about their striker situation that before following a fresh reveal on the true timeframe of Liam Delap’s recovery from his hamstring injury.
Chelsea’s desire to sign a new striker in the summer window made them attentive to the services of to highly-rated England youth international Liam Delap, who was fresh off the back of a stellar season at Ipswich Town.
The 22-year-old bagged 12 goals in 37 league outings in a relegated Ipswich team in his maiden Premier League campaign, and so Chelsea triggered Delap’s £30million release clause in his Ipswich contract to make him theirs at the start of June.
He impressed during the Blues’ triumphant Club World Cup campaign, and despite Chelsea also adding Joao Pedro to their striker ranks, Delap was trusted by Enzo Maresca from the off in numerous Premier League games at the start of the season.
Delap went off injured in Chelsea’s last game against Fulham, however, and although initial reports suggested that he would be out for up to six weeks, a new development has revealed that he faces even longer on the sidelines.
Chelsea fans express their sadness at Liam Delap November return date news
According to a new report from The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, Delap is expected to begin training again in November, with his lay-off estimated at approximately 10 weeks from the time of his injury last weekend.
No surgery is required on the hamstring injury that he sustained against Fulham, but this update will come as a real blow to Maresca and his squad, which only boasts two fit strikers for more than the next two months now in Pedro and youngster Marc Guiu, who was recently recalled from a loan at Sunderland.
Numerous Chelsea supporters took to X to voice their opinions on the Delap news, with many upset at the lengthy timeframe of his recovery, as one wrote: “This is bad really bad brooo,” while another said: “We should pray for JP (Joao Pedro) not to get hurt otherwise we are done.”
More supporters shared their woe on the social media platform, with one saying: “November? I thought he’s just out for 6 weeks. This is bad,” while another wrote: “Jesus Christ the son of God. 10 weeks.”
Another admitted that their team could struggle if Pedro also gets injured, saying: “If Joao Pedro goes down it’s so unbelievably over,” as a fellow fan looked to the future and said: “Man that just feels like a long time… I hope it doesn’t affect his form negatively when he gets back.”
Delap was named in Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League league phase despite his injury, but he is now set to potentially miss the first four games of the competition, as well as a number of league and cup clashes.
The Chelsea games that Delap is set to miss
Going off the reported time-frame for him to recover, Delap should be back in training in November, but faces another nine weeks until he is ready to play again.
The key games that he will not be able to partake in begin as soon as next week, with Maresca’s side facing a trip to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday (17 September).
Chelsea also play Man United away on 20 September, face Premier League champions Liverpool on 4 October and then travel to Tottenham Hotspur on 1 November, while also taking on Benfica, Ajax and Qarabag in their other UCL ties.
Delap is likely aiming to return to action for the Blues after an international break as they travel to Burnley on 22 November, and that would align with his recovery plan, but would leave him having missed 13 games across all competitions, which is obviously far from ideal.