Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca delivered a significant blow to the Blues’ attacking plans on Friday, revealing that summer signing Liam Delap is expected to be out of action for 10 to 12 weeks with a hamstring injury. The striker, who joined from Ipswich for £30 million in June, sustained the knock in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham on August 30.
The injury leaves Chelsea notably short-handed in the forward line, especially after the departure of Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day. In response, the club swiftly recalled young striker Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland to provide cover.
“The only one is Guiu,” Maresca stated in a press conference. “And Joao [Pedro] can also play there. Against Fulham, we used Tyrique [George] as a nine. So we can also think about him.”
The timing is far from ideal, with Chelsea preparing for a west London derby against Brentford on Saturday. Maresca admitted the lack of options up front is a pressing concern: “We have the injury for sure now in this moment as a number nine.”
There is a glimmer of positive news with England international Cole Palmer nearing a return from a groin injury that kept him out of recent victories over West Ham and Fulham. However, Maresca flagged several other players as potential doubts due to international duty complications.
João Pedro, Estevão Willian, and Andrey Santos all returned to England on Thursday after featuring for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia—a match played at the extreme altitude of over 4,000 metres. Maresca noted that the trio did not train upon return and only undertook recovery sessions, making their availability for Saturday uncertain. Midfielder Moisés Caicedo also returned late on Thursday after playing for Ecuador in a historic win over Argentina.
In other squad news, winger Alejandro Garnacho, who arrived from Manchester United, is said to be “working well” but is not yet at full fitness.
Off the pitch, Chelsea face potential turmoil after being charged by the Football Association on Thursday with 74 alleged breaches of rules related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022. The majority of the charges are linked to the Roman Abramovich era, specifically between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons.
Addressing the off-field issue, Maresca remained focused on his duties: “I know the club are satisfied about the situation, about the process. Personally I don’t have anything to add because I don’t have any idea. I just focus on the pitch side.”
Despite the early-season challenges, Chelsea have started the campaign strongly, sitting second in the Premier League after three games, as Maresca looks to build on a debut season that saw the club win the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup.
