Yet again, Chelsea have made the most of the transfer market this summer to recruit several quality players. But Micah Richards is worried that one new signing won’t start in the strongest team.
It has been another busy window so far at Stamford Bridge, with plenty of incomings and outgoings to reshuffle the squad.
In terms of new faces, Chelsea have several individuals that have arrived to compete for a spot under Enzo Maresca. In fact, plenty of them are involved in Friday’s pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.
On paper, the Blues look a lot stronger as a group ahead of the new season. Jamie Carragher doesn’t expect Chelsea to win the Premier League, though.
- READ MORE: Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves disagree on where Chelsea will finish in the 2025/26 Premier League
Micah Richards suggests Liam Delap won’t be in Chelsea’s best XI
According to pundit Micah Richards, Chelsea will start the new season with Joao Pedro, 23, as their starting centre-forward. As a result, 22-year-old striker Liam Delap could find himself out of the Blues starting line-up.
During a conversation on the Fantasy Football Hub YouTube channel, Richards said: “I just think he’s (Pedro) going to start every game for Chelsea, and I think he showed that in the Club World Cup. I thought [Liam] Delap might be that guy to start, but the connection between Pedro and Palmer looks exciting for the season ahead.”
There has been a complete revamp of the Blues forward line this summer. Pedro completed a £60m move from Brighton in July, while Delap joined for £30m from Ipswich Town a month earlier.
With Nicolas Jackson expected to be leaving Chelsea, it leaves the No.9 position wide open in Maresca’s team.
At the Club World Cup, Delap impressed in his opening Blues games and looked like a genuine contender to nail down a spot in the XI. Unfortunately for the Englishman, Pedro scored three goals in three Chelsea appearances to quickly throw down a marker that he’s ready to lead the line.
We can’t wait to see the two new Chelsea attackers fight it out for the starting role.
At the moment, Pedro surely has the edge going into the start of the 2025/26 season, especially because of the early signs we saw from his link up with Cole Palmer at the Club World Cup. Pedro discussed his fantastic understanding with Palmer after such a short time working together.
Joao Pedro vs Liam Delap
While Pedro is more creative and technical as a creative attacker, Delap is a throwback No.9 with brute strength and speed.
It’s interesting that both young forwards have spent time in the Championship and the Premier League before making big-money moves to Chelsea. Can they now deliver on a consistent basis at a big club?
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Watford | 109 | 24 | 8 |
| Brighton | 70 | 30 | 10 |
| Fluminense | 36 | 10 | 2 |
| Chelsea | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Ipswich Town | 40 | 12 | 2 |
| Stoke City | 32 | 8 | 2 |
| Hull City | 23 | 3 | 0 |
| Preston North End | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Manchester City | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Chelsea | 6 | 1 | 1 |
There was a lot of excitement from pundits and fans when Delap arrived at Chelsea, but the quick nature of football means that just weeks later he’s slipped down the pecking order behind. Realistically, we expect both new signings to get plenty of minutes in the 2025/26 season. It feels like Pedro is the main in possession of the shirt right now, though.
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