Chelsea have signed too many players to remember since the new owners completed their £4.25 billion takeover in 2022.
From Enzo Fernandez’s then-British record £107m move to Marc Guiu’s £5m transfer from Barcelona, the Blues have completed all types of deals.
This trend continued in the most recent transfer window, with 10 new players joining the West London club.
The likes of Joao Pedro and Estevao have made an immediate impact, while others are out on loan, but some have struggled to settle at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca handed one summer signing a golden opportunity to impress against Bournemouth, but he failed to take it.
- READ MORE: Why Enzo Fernandez’s class performance against Bournemouth has come at the perfect time for Chelsea
RANK: Chelsea’s striker options
Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu and Tyrique George
Liam Delap will regret not scoring vs Bournemouth
Liam Delap signed for Chelsea in a £30m deal from Ipswich before the Club World Cup last summer.
He arrived with relatively high expectations after scoring 12 Premier League goals last season, including one against the Blues.
However, the Englishman has not hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge and has fallen behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order.
Delap scored once in Chelsea’s 3-0 demolition of Barcelona, but that is his only goal from 13 appearances in all competitions.
Still, Enzo Maresca picked him in the Blues’ starting line-up to face an out-of-form Bournemouth side on Tuesday.
And considering the Cherries had conceded the most goals in the Premier League since 1 November (23), there was no better fixture for Delap to get off the mark.
The 22-year-old’s hold-up play was tidy, and he made some dangerous runs in behind the Bournemouth defence, but he never looked like scoring.
It is fair to say that he failed to take his chance to impress Maresca and prove that he should be starting over Pedro.
Instead, he will probably remain on the bench against Manchester City and all of Chelsea’s bigger games in the coming weeks.
And the Blues hierarchy must now be wondering whether they will need to sign another striker next summer.
Chelsea had the chance to sign Hugo Ekitike or Benjamin Sesko, why do you think they chose Liam Delap instead?
Both strikers were heavily linked with moves to Stamford Bridge in the summer
Injuries have hampered Liam Delap’s debut season at Chelsea
Liam Delap has been very unlucky with injuries in his first seven months as a Chelsea player.
He missed 10 games with a hamstring injury at the start of the season and five matches with a shoulder problem recently.
Any striker will tell you that they need a run of games to find their feet, which Delap has never had under Maresca.
However, especially at the highest level, managers cannot afford to give players time to settle into the club gradually.
Delap must take his chance the next time he is in the starting lineup – probably against Charlton in the FA Cup third round.
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