Chelsea have spent heavily on signings following the ownership change in 2022. In the last summer transfer window, the Blues brought in a number of new faces to the club. That included Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap and Jorrel Hato, among others.
That said, not every new arrival has managed to impress with their performances so far. In fact, most of them have had a tough time.
As a result, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the club lets some of them leave in the next window. In the past, we have seen them do that with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix, Kalidou Koulibaly, Renato Veiga and more.
Now, it looks like Chelsea might consider going down that path with their number nine. Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown recently revealed to Football Insider that doubts have grown regarding Delap’s future at Stamford Bridge. He said: “I think Chelsea will be open to letting Delap leave.”
Chelsea open to player’s exit after just one season at the club
Brown further went on to state: “For a team like Chelsea, who are going to have ambitions of winning silverware, I think you need a striker who is going to be a regular source of goals.
“Delap hasn’t done anything yet to show me that’s who he is going to be, so I’m sure they’ll be looking at other options and that might mean they let him go if a big offer comes in.“
Delap was signed with the vision that he would slowly take on the role of the primary striker for Chelsea. However, that has far from been the case as things stand. Pedro is establishing himself above the English international in the pecking order with his performances.
The stats further showcase Delap’s struggles to find his feet since arriving at Chelsea. The 23-year-old has scored just three goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Blues. That is far from what was expected of him after a £30 million move.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson, who was sent on a season-long loan to Bayern Munich, is likely to return instead of joining the German giants permanently. Additionally, the Blues will also add highly rated Emmanuel Emegha to their roster. He is someone Liam Rosenior already knows well.
So it remains to be seen how Chelsea’s frontline equation changes next season, especially with Delap unable to cement his place. The Englishman undoubtedly possesses potential. But maybe it’s time he puts his foot down and starts showing that. Otherwise, he might not have a future at Stamford Bridge.
