🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's availability is crucial for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the first 10 games.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A engine room operator and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."