When Liam Delap will play for Chelsea again revealed after key development
Enzo Maresca has revealed when Chelsea fans can expect to see Liam Delap back on the pitch once again as nears a full return to action.
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 August clash against Fulham, however, and has had to face around two months on the sidelines but is now nearing a return to action for Maresca’s side.
Maresca reveals Delap will be back against Wolves next week
Delap suffered a setback in his injury recovery after an initial six-week recovery period was extended to 10, but he now looks set to return ahead of that latter time-frame following this latest update.
Blues boss Maresca faced the media on Friday (24 October) prior to his side’s clash against Sunderland this weekend, and he offered an encouraging new outlook on Delap’s recovery.
He said: “We don’t have any new injuries. Liam took part in the session with the team yesterday for the first time. He is not going to be available for tomorrow’s game but the next one (Wolves in the cup), yes.”
While the 22-year-old is not due to be fit enough to face the Black Cats on Saturday (25 October), he is expected to be available against Wolves in their Carabao Cup fourth round clash at Molineux next Wednesday (29 October).
How Chelsea could line up when Delap returns
Maresca has been chopping and changing in nearly every game during Delap’s absence, with the likes of Pedro, Marc Guiu and Tyrique George all playing as a centre-forward in his 4-2-3-1 formation.
He has also played Pedro as a number 10 with Cole Palmer out injured, while Facundo Buonanotte and Enzo Fernandez have also played as attacking midfielders, but Delap’s return should see a more settled starting eleven take shape in the weeks to come.
Pedro has also been dealing with his own injury troubles in recent weeks, but Palmer is not expected to be back fit for another five weeks, and so the Brazilian could line up behind Delap as a number 10 when they are both able to play in the coming weeks.
Aside from that possibility, Delap may well find himself on the bench more often than not by the time his compatriot is back fit again, as Pedro has notched five goal contributions in eight Premier League games and so will likely be moved to striker to accommodate Palmer in the team.