Copyright Teamtalk.com
The likelihood Chelsea will sign a new striker in January has increased after Liam Delap continued their wretched disciplinary record in the dramatic 4-3 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Andrey Santos and Tyrique George gave Chelsea an early two-goal cushion, with Estevao joining them on the scoresheet with a delightful chip shortly before half time. But Chelsea made a meal out of the League Cup tie, as goals from Tolu Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe saw Wolves make it 3-2. Chelsea’s dismal red card record got even worse in the 86th minute when Delap – only just returning from injury – picked up a stupid second yellow card and was dismissed. Six red cards in nine games: Chelsea’s AWFUL record September – Robert Sanchez vs Manchester United, Trevoh Chalobah vs Brighton, Joao Pedro vs Benfica October – Enzo Maresca vs Liverpool, Malo Gusto vs Nottingham Forest, Delap vs Wolves A sensational Jamie Gittens strike restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage, and while Moller Wolfe then secured his brace for Wolves, the 10-man Blues held on to reach the quarter-finals. Chelsea have missed Delap during his six-week recovery from a hamstring injury, and they will have to cope without him again on Saturday as he will miss the trip to Tottenham Hotspur through suspension. The striker came off the bench in the 61st minute and picked up his first yellow less than 20 minutes later, tangling with Yerson Mosquera before pushing him to the ground. YOUR NEXT READ 🚨 Bombshell Vinicius Junior to Chelsea claim with £92m duo now at risk Delap leaves Maresca furious Just seven minutes later, Delap senselessly jumped into Emmanuel Agbadou with his elbow raised, forcing the referee to act. Liam Delap second yellow card 86’ against Wolves 🟨 byu/yemoru inchelseafc In his post-match press conference (via Sky Sports), Maresca called the sending off ’embarrassing’ and ‘stupid’. Delap may have convinced Maresca and Chelsea to ramp up their plans for a new striker signing in January… It emerged on Wednesday that Chelsea have been ‘offered’ Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian’s contract is winding down, which means Chelsea can sign him for just £20m (€23m / $26m) this winter. Vlahovic could be Chelsea’s new No.9 As per transfer reporter Graeme Bailey, Vlahovic is eager to move to the Premier League and is willing to take a pay cut to aid such a transfer. Chelsea could therefore sign the 25-year-old in a bargain deal to provide Delap with serious competition. Delap only moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but Chelsea see Vlahovic as a fantastic market opportunity. He has netted 115 goals in his career, including scoring the winner for Juve in the 2024 Coppa Italia final. Chelsea face competition from Tottenham Hotspur to sign Vlahovic. Maresca also has Pedro and Marc Guiu in his squad, both of whom can play at No 9. But Pedro appears more comfortable operating behind a true centre-forward such as Delap or Vlahovic. Guiu has huge potential but is still only 19 years old, which means Chelsea cannot rely on him in the biggest games just yet.
