Delap ruled out until December with hamstring injury

Chelsea striker Liam Delap will be out of action until December due to a hamstring injury sustained against Fulham before the international break.

He was substituted after only 14 minutes in the 2-0 win over the Cottagers, with manager Enzo Maresca confirming on Friday that he has an expected recovery period of 10 to 12 weeks.

The 22-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30m in June after chipping in with 14 Premier League goal involvements last term, had played in all three of Chelsea’s matches this season.

He is yet to score or assist in the top-flight so far, though he did get his first goal during their Club World Cup triumph.

In response to Delap’s injury and the uncertainty surrounding Nicolas Jackson, who recently transferred to Bayern Munich for £70.5m, Chelsea recalled striker Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to add depth to the squad.

The short trip to Brentford is up next. pic.twitter.com/FKVYcgNFNZ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 8, 2025

Joao Pedro, who also joined Chelsea from Brighton this summer, is expected to be Maresca’s main option up front.

Maresca commented, “For us, the only number nine is [Marc] Guiu and Joao [Pedro] can play there, and against Fulham we used Ty [George].”

Delap will therefore be out of Chelsea’s west London derby against Brentford on Saturday, and will miss the start of their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.