Athletic: World Cup at risk for Chelsea talent after devastating injury news confirmed | OneFootball

Chelsea have been given the stinging injury news today that Liam Delap will be out until at least November with a hamstring injury picked up against Fulham.

Simon Johnson’s analysis for the Athletic explained just why this is such bad news for the player and for Chelsea.

Chelsea and Delap both damaged by hamstring issues

Marc Guiu at Selhurst Park. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“[Delap] bought from Ipswich Town for £30million in June, was providing the team with some much needed physicality and showing his importance,” Johnson wrote.

“The schedule is now becoming much more intense with the start of the Champions League next week and head coach Enzo Maresca would have hoped to share the workload between both of his options. Chelsea have recalled Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to fill the void after deciding not to stand in the way of Nicolas Jackson’s departure to Bayern Munich before the deadline.”

“With Chelsea facing Tottenham Hotspur on November 1, that means Delap is surely going to miss a minimum of 11 fixtures and even after he is fit to feature again, will surely need a few weeks to get back to being 100 per cent.”

It’s emphasised that Maresca does like Guiu as a backup – but he’s not on Delap’s level, and there’s no denying the squad has been hurt by this blow.

Delap’s World Cup hopes hang by a thread after bad news

Johnson adds that it’s especially frustrating for Delap in the light of the upcoming World Cup. There are still many months to go, but not many fixtures for England before Thomas Tuchel has to start making serious decisions about who to take. Delap will miss all the remaining England games in 2025, and likely won’t get a chance until March, by which time it may be too late to force his way in.