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Chelsea striker Liam Delap expected to return to training in November, no surgery required after hamstring injury

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6587974/2025/09/09/liam-delap-injury-update-Chelsea/

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By David Ornstein and Simon Johnson
Sept. 9, 2025

 

Chelsea striker Liam Delap is expected to begin training again in November, with his anticipated return to play coming shortly after ahead of the busy festive fixture schedule.

No surgery is required on the hamstring injury Delap sustained against Fulham and his lay-off is estimated at approximately 10 weeks from the time of the injury.

Delap pulled up during the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Fulham on August 30 and was replaced by Tyrique George. After the game, head coach Enzo Maresca said he feared Delap would be out for up to eight weeks.

The England Under-21 international’s injury caused Chelsea to recall Marc Guiu from his proposed season-long loan at Sunderland.

That came after the club had informed Bayern Munich they would not be sanctioning the proposed loan of Nicolas Jackson to the German club, before a deal was ultimately struck on deadline day which includes a conditional obligation for the Bundesliga champions to make the move permanent.

Delap is set to miss the beginning of Chelsea’s Champions League league phase campaign, which includes a trip to Bayern Munich on September 17, while Maresca’s side also play Premier League champions Liverpool on October 4 and travel to Tottenham Hotspur on November 1.

Delap joined Chelsea for £30million from Ipswich Town at the start of summer. He featured in six games for his new side at the Club World Cup, scoring once, and had started two of Chelsea’s opening three Premier League games.

As well as Delap, Chelsea also recruited Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of the Club World Cup. The Brazilian has so far featured as a No 10, a No 9 and on the left under Maresca.

Chelsea return to action following the international break against Brentford on Saturday.


‘A blow for the player and Chelsea’

Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Simon Johnson

Losing Delap for such a long period of time is a blow for the player and Chelsea.

Delap may have been outshone by fellow new forward recruit Joao Pedro so far as the 5-1 goal ratio indicates. But the striker, bought from Ipswich Town for £30million in June, was providing the team with some much needed physicality and showing his importance.

The schedule is now becoming much more intense with the start of the Champions League next week and head coach Enzo Maresca would have hoped to share the workload between both of his options.

Chelsea have recalled Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to fill the void after deciding not to stand in the way of Nicolas Jackson’s departure to Bayern Munich before the deadline.

As The Athletic explained last week, Guiu is a player who is highly regarded by Maresca and club personnel. It is a great opportunity for him of course, but he does not have as many games at the highest level as Delap has managed.

With Chelsea facing Tottenham Hotspur on November 1, that means Delap is surely going to miss a minimum of 11 fixtures and even after he is fit to feature again, will surely need a few weeks to get back to being 100 per cent.

Delap has ambitions of making the England squad for the 2026 World Cup, but there is now a very strong possibility that he will not get a chance to impress head coach Thomas Tuchel until the March international break next year.

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Chelsea Football Club has released the following update regarding Dario Essugo…

 
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Midfielder Dario Essugo has undergone successful surgery today on his thigh.

The 20-year-old sustained the injury whilst on international duty for Portugal's Under-21s.

Medical assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action and Dario will now begin his recovery at Cobham, supported by the club's medical department.

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