- 17 hours ago
Chelsea eye Cole Palmer repeat as Gyokeres and Osimhen forgotten
Robin Bairner
- 23 Nov 2024 09:59 GMT
- 6 min read
Chelsea want to profit from the Manchester City academy once again as they eye a repeat of the success that Cole Palmer has had since moving from the Etihad Stadium little over a year ago.
While the Blues’ transfer strategy under BlueCo has been questionable at times, there are no doubts that Palmer has proven one of the shrewdest pieces of business in the Premier League in recent years.
Now Chelsea are targeting a move for fellow City academy graduate Liam Delap, according to The I.
Delap left Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer to join Premier League new boys Ipswich Town in a deal worth £20 million.
While the Tractor Boys, who face Manchester United on Sunday in Ruben Amorim’s Premier League, have experienced a difficult start to life in the top flight, the 21-year-old Delap has individually thrived. He has scored six goals in 11 games.
His finishing has proven to be especially good, and this is an area of the game that Chelsea are known to be interested in strengthening their squad in.
STATS
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
Liam Delap
F (C), AM (R)
Ipswich Town
Liam Delap: Osimhen and Gyokeres alternative
If Chelsea really are set on strengthening their squad in January, then Delap offers a tempting alternative to the strikers they have otherwise been linked with.
The Blues have been associated with Victor Osimhen, but journalist Simon Phillips says they are not confident on landing the Nigeria international star. For his part, Osimhen has been insistent that he will stay at Galatasaray, where he is on loan, for the duration of the season.
Viktor Gyokeres is another name linked rumoured to be of interest to the Blues. Amorim has indicated, however, that the Sporting CP striker will not depart in the middle of the campaign.
Another option that Enzo Maresca’s side could turn to is Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, whose progress has been hampered by injury of late, but who had previously been tipped as a €100m striker.
Given the success that Palmer has had at Chelsea after coming through the Man City academy, it appears to be hoped that Delap could similarly thrive at the London side.
Nicolas Jackson on fire: Do Chelsea really need to sign?
Chelsea already boast one of the Premier League’s most in-form strikers in the form of Nicolas Jackson, who has scored six top-flight goals this season and assisted with another three.
Not only that, data analytics experts SciSport rate Jackson as the best-performing centre-forward in the Premier League statistically this season.
Nicolas Jackson vs Premier League strikers: 2024/25
However, an opening could soon arrive in attack at Stamford Bridge, with Christopher Nkunku unhappy at his lack of game time and potentially pushing for an exit.
