Chelsea Dealt Blow As Liam Delap Faces Lengthy Injury Absence

Liam Delap will miss at least six weeks after injuring his hamstring in Chelsea’s win against Fulham. Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the news.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The young striker hurt himself after a sprint during the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Fulham. He left the field holding his right hamstring and was replaced by Tyrique George just 13 minutes into the match. After the game, Maresca said Delap will likely be out for six to eight weeks because of the injury. This comes as Chelsea were hoping to keep building on their good start to the season, having recently secured a win against Fulham.

CHELSEA’S CHALLENGES GROW

Delap’s injury leaves Chelsea with few attacking options. Christopher Nkunku has moved to AC Milan for up to €42 million, and Nicolas Jackson is joining Bayern Munich on loan. So Delap and Joao Pedro were the main strikers, with Joao Pedro, who joined from Brighton this summer, scoring in the win against Fulham, but now has even more pressure to perform. Cole Palmer is also injured, adding more strain on the squad. Chelsea are top of the Premier League after three rounds, with the teams that could overtake them, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, yet to play this round.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MARESCA’S SIDE?

Chelsea’s next game is against Brentford in the Premier League. Brentford are currently 11th in the standings, four points behind Chelsea. With both Delap and Palmer injured, young forwards like Tyrique George might get more playing time soon. The team will try to keep up their positive results despite these injuries as they aim to stay in the Champions League race early in the season.