6 crucial games Chelsea’s Delap will miss after injury against Fulham

Chelsea’s victory over Fulham came at a heavy price, as summer signing Liam Delap limped off with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for several weeks.

The setback has forced the Blues to rethink their transfer plans and reshuffle their attack just as the season begins to heat up.

Delap, a £30 million signing from Ipswich Town, had quickly established himself as a key figure in Enzo Maresca’s squad. His physical presence and movement gave Chelsea a new attacking edge, but his absence now leaves the team alarmingly short of options up front.

The 21-year-old striker is expected to miss six to eight weeks, throwing a wrench into the club’s carefully laid-out plans.

The timing could not have been worse, as Nicolas Jackson had already been set for a loan move to Bayern Munich in a deal worth €80 million.

The Senegalese forward had even travelled to Germany for his medical, only for Chelsea to cancel the deal at the last minute once Delap’s injury was confirmed. Jackson must now stay put and compete for minutes, with Joao Pedro the only other recognised striker available.

Maresca summed it up bluntly: “When you have two strikers, it is enough; when one of them is injured for weeks, it is not enough.”

The hamstring setback ensures Delap will sit out a run of fixtures that could define Chelsea’s early campaign.

These include a tricky league clash against Brentford, a blockbuster Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich, and domestic heavyweights Manchester United and Liverpool.

Add in Brighton and Benfica to the mix, and Chelsea now face six season-shaping games without their summer signing. For a club in transition, the absence of Delap has already become a major headache.