Liam Delap’s Chelsea career got off to a very promising start in the summer as he played his part in the Blues’ Club World Cup triumph.
Delap scored his first goal for the club in that competition and helped them to win the trophy.
However, since then, it has been pretty much downhill for the 22-year-old, who picked up a hamstring injury before getting sent off on his return against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.
Some Chelsea fans now want Delap to be replaced, and they could end up getting their wish.
Chelsea eyeing Jonathan David as Emanuel Emegha scores brace for Strasbourg
Chelsea have shown interest in Jonathan David in the past, and it looks like they could weigh up making a move for him again in what would be a negative development for Delap.
David only joined Juventus from Lille in the summer, but a report from Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb claims that Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are keeping an eye on him ahead of a potential exit in January.
David was a success in France but has only made five league starts in Italy this season.
One striker who is still shining in Ligue 1 is Strasbourg’s Emanuel Emegha, who scored two goals in a 2-0 win against David’s former club on Sunday.
Emegha is set to join Chelsea in 2026, meaning that Delap will have fresh competition whether David moves to Stamford Bridge or not.
If he continues to get silly red cards and fails to score goals, Emegha is definitely going to replace him and possibly David as well.
Liam Delap is being written off too quickly
It would be a bit rash for Chelsea to start exploring possible options to replace Delap. Things are not going well for him right now, but he is still a young striker with a lot of potential.
Twelve goals in 37 Premier League games at Ipswich Town last term was a pretty good return, given his age and the quality of the side he was playing in.
The former Manchester City player is a big and powerful centre-forward; he looks built for English football.
Enzo Maresca just needs to give him a bit of time, but whether the Italian and Chelsea will be willing to do that remains to be seen.
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