Chelsea will take a commanding lead back to Stamford Bridge after they hammered Legia Warsaw 3-0 away from home in the Conference League on Thursday evening.
The Blues heavily rotated their squad for the trip to Poland and one of the young players who came in scored their first goal for the club, as Tyrique George opened the scoring.
Noni Madueke added two goals to his seasonal tally in the second half with two strikes that were assisted by Jadon Sancho, which has left Enzo Maresca’s side in a terrific position ahead of the second leg.
The Conference League is the last chance for Chelsea to win a trophy before the end of the 2024/25 campaign, whilst they continue to compete for Champions League qualification from their Premier League season.
Despite the comfortable win, there were some negatives to come out of the trip to Legia Warsaw, as centre-forward Christopher Nkunku saw his penalty saved.
Chelsea’s strikers have failed to consistently perform across all competitions this season, and it is an area for concern ahead of the summer transfer window.
Why Chelsea need a new centre-forward
Nkunku’s missed penalty against Legia Warsaw means that he has now scored one goal in his last 18 appearances against Premier League level or Conference League teams.
The France international has also failed to register a goal or an assist in any of his last six matches in all competitions, as the ex-RB Leipzig man has been unable to prove his worth to the team in a centre-forward position.
Nkunku has not done enough with his chances this season to seriously push Nicolas Jackson for the starting role in the Premier League, with a return of five goals from 5.58 xG and seven ‘big chances’ missed in the Conference League this term.
Neither Jackson nor the French flop, however, have delivered ruthless performances in front of goal in the top-flight, leaving Maresca without a reliable goalscorer in the number nine position for all of his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Appearances
26
25
xG
4.83
11.70
Goals
3
9
Minutes per goal
310
208
Big chances missed
6
17
Assists
2
5
As you can see in the table above, both of Chelsea’s strikers have underperformed against their xG in the Premier League and missed more ‘big chances’ than they have managed goals scored.
These statistics show that the Blues lack a number nine who can make the most of the high-quality opportunities that the team can create for the striker in Maresca’s system, as they have racked up more than 16 xG between them.
This is why Chelsea should make signing a new centre-forward a big priority to bolster their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Chelsea open talks to sign Premier League striker
According to journalist Simon Phillips’ Substack, Chelsea have opened talks to sign Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The report claims that the Blues have ‘reopened’ discussions over a deal to bring the England U21 international to Stamford Bridge to compete with Jackson and Nkunku for a starting spot in the team next season.
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It states that the Premier League giants are ‘very serious’ about getting a move over the line for the former Manchester City star and that they want to get it done before the Club World Cup kicks off in the middle of June.
The Guardian recently reported that Delap has a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave Ipswich for £30m this summer if the Tractor Boys are relegated from the division. They are currently placed in 18th and are 12th points adrift with seven matches to go.
This suggests that it could be a fairly reasonably priced deal for Chelsea to complete this summer, which is one of a number of reasons why the Blues should ensure that they win the race for his services.
Why Chelsea should sign Liam Delap
As well as his price tag, the club should swoop to sign Delap from Ipswich because he could supercharge Cole Palmer by providing the England international with the clinical number nine that he has yet to have in a Chelsea shirt.
The Tractor Boys star has outperformed Jackson and Nkunku in the Premier League this season, in what is his first season in the top-flight after loan spells with Stoke City and Hull City in the Championship in recent years.
As you can see in the graphic above, Delap has scored three more goals and missed seven fewer ‘big chances’ in comparison to the Senegal international, outperforming his xG by roughly three goals.
The 22-year-old marksman, who joined Ipswich from Manchester City last summer, has also shown that he can do it against some of the top teams in the league, as shown by the goal against Aston Villa in the clip below.
Delap has proven himself to be a Premier League-grade centre-forward who can excel in front of goal by outperforming his xG, which suggests that he would thrive alongside a creative talent like Palmer.
Appearances
34
30
Goals
22
14
Key passes
72
75
Big chances created
17
20
Assists
11
7
As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea superstar has created a staggering 37 ‘big chances’ for his teammates since the start of last season, but has only been rewarded with 18 assists for his efforts.
This suggests that Palmer has suffered as a result of the underperformance of Chelsea’s strikers – Nkunku and Jackson – and that is why he could be supercharged by the signing of a clinical forward like Delap.
The left-footed playmaker’s assist tally could balloon next season if he has a striker, like the £30m-rated star, who can outperform his xG instead of underperforming, to create ‘big chances’ for on a regular basis.
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It is now down to the club to push to win the race for Delap in the summer transfer window and the latest report on them opening talks to sign him is a step in the right direction.