Chelsea are moving in for the £50m ‘super talent’ Liam Delap to compete with out of form Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson to lose his place in the team?
Enzo Maresca had a great Premier League start as a manager. His side had a good run in the beginning. They only lost to Manchester City and Liverpool in their 17 opening games. They were second at that time behind Liverpool.
Their star players were in a great form at the start. Nicolas Jackson was scoring regularly. Cole Palmer doing what he is best at, controlling the attack. With Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez also having their goal contributions at vital points.
In recent run of games, the goals have not been coming. That has got the ownership to look for attackers in the transfer market. They missed out on signing an additional striker in the summer. Victor Osimhen was the top target at the time.
With the final few days left in the January window, the Blues will try to take some actions. They might look for players in the current window if the right move occurs. Also, they can do some tracking and sign a striker in the summer.
Jackson on the bench for another Premier League striker
According to some reports from Journalist Ben Jacobs on X space, Chelsea are now in a great position to sign Ipswich Town forward, Liam Delap. Although the they may have to wait for this year’s summer to make the deal.
Jacobs said: ” I think Chelsea are in pole position for Liam Delap and I think they are ahead of other clubs in terms of player buy-in. One for the summer.”
This suggests that the club will be doing the groundwork. They will bring Delap in the summer and compete with Nicolas.
In addition, the reports from Simon Philips suggests that the two sides have had talks regarding a deal. The deal involves midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. A cash move could happen for him to swap sides.
Liam Delap is currently valued at £50 million. He has played 23 games for the Tractor Boys this season so far. The forward has scored eight goals. He has provided two assists as well. He has played for 1,705 minutes in his debut Premier league season.
Liam Delap is good in front of the goal
This season’s goal scoring duty has been passed on to Nicolas, alongside Palmer. He has netted nine goals and assisted five in his 23 games this campaign. That is considered as a good job by the attacker.
He works both on and off the ball for the team. This quality of his makes him a good fit for Enzo Maresca’s system. However, they need a back up when he isn’t finding the back of the net.
As another striker option, Christopher Nkunku has been used. But the lack of abilities that Maresca wants from him, aren’t there. His off the ball work rate is not good. He shows desire to want the ball at his feet rather then making runs from behind. And the fact that he isn’t a natural centre-forward makes it hard. The manager is finding it tough to get the best out of him.
Since Liam’s rumours with the Blues, there have been comparisons between him and the Senegalese. The Senegal international contributes more in the build-up. He completes more passes and dribbles. With his short passes, he creates scoring chances for others. He has been providing assists for the team with his fake shot-creating actions.
However, Delap comes on top in key metrics like winning more aerial duels. He also has a better finishing rate (0.17 to 0.15 when comparing with their goals/shots ratio).
Opta Analyst have described the Ipswich striker as a one-man ‘battering ram’ this season. They came up with this by analyzing his tall and physical presence, his ability to carry the ball and affect the game with his great ball-striking.
Author’s Opinion
The signing of Liam Delap can bring more physical abilities in the attacking line. He has different skills and abilities that to of other squad members. The manager could use these player combinations as per the game. It would be a great opportunity for the youngster to play at the Stamford Bridge.
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