Managing Chelsea – Liam Delap injury decision as Cole Palmer concern builds after chaos

Enzo Maresca will need to dig deep into his tactical arsenal to solve the issues coming his and Chelsea’s way after the international break.

Deadline day proved to be dramatic for the Italian boss, who saw Nicolas Jackson join Bayern Munich on loan, Alejandro Garnacho arrive from Manchester United, Facundo Buonanotte arrive on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion and Marc Guiu be recalled from his loan at Sunderland.

Chelsea travel to Brentford in their first match after the break, before flying to Germany for a daunting Champions League clash away to Bayern Munich. Maresca must navigate these pressures without summer signing Liam Delap – who pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 2-0 victory over Fulham – and, possibly, without Cole Palmer, whose groin injury ruled him out of England’s recent squad.

It’s early in the campaign, but when it rained for Maresca last season, it poured. With the Italian doing his best to ensure a run of bad results is not around the corner, football.london took the reigns and explained how they may steer Chelsea through the upcoming storms.

Liam Delap injury saga

Just as Chelsea’s transfer window was coming to an end, Delap’s hamstring pinged, dropping a humongous problem on Maresca’s plate. Chelsea hastily tried to recall Jackson from Germany, but with the club deciding to leave the Senegal forward in Bavaria, the west Londoners recalled Guiu from his loan at Sunderland.

The Spaniard is a hard worker who did everything he could to impress for the Blues last season, but the young forward is not ready to lead a Chelsea frontline which is aiming to be competitive in all competitions.

With Pedro starring in the No. 10 position in Palmer’s absence, Pedro Neto would be introduced at centre-forward, as he was last season when Jackson was injured.

This would see Estevao Willian remain at right wing, where he has been so impressive, while Garnacho and Jamie Gittens would have to fight for the left wing spot. Delap is expected to be out for the best part of six weeks, so the Portuguese forward would not need to lead the frontline for too long.

Cole Palmer situation

While Neto is a solution for Delap’s absence, dealing with Palmer’s injury presents many other problems. At present, Pedro is going a fine job in the Englishman’s wake, but in an ideal world, the Brazilian would be leading the frontline as the No. 9.

With Delap and Palmer both injured, Maresca may view Pedro as being the solution to both, but asking him to be so present in the first team is a massive ask for a player who is competing in the Champions League for the first time in his career. The Chelsea boss could turn to Buananotte to play behind the striker, but the ex-Leicester City loanee is yet to prove himself on the biggest stage.

However, Maresca could move Enzo Fernandez into the No. 10 position and introduce either Andrey Santos or Dario Essugo to partner Moises Caicedo. Both midfielders have impressed and their potential is endless, but with the stakes so high, Blues captain Reece James may also be brought into central midfield, as he was in stages last season, with Malo Gusto moving to right-back.

James has improved as a leader and did look impressive in central midfield at times last season, yet his injury history will always bring anxiety, particularly in a position as demanding as central midfield. Maresca may need to consider all of the above scenarios, as one positional re-shuffle only prompts another one elsewhere.

January transfer window considerations

Injury issues are piling up again at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s rock solid start has taken the attention off Levi Colwill being ruled out for the majority of the campaign after undergoing surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Maresca is also without classy midfielder Romeo Lavia, who may not return until October, Palmer and Delap. The injuries to the latter will be of particular concern as there are few back-up options, with Christopher Nkunku and Jackson both departing the club.

Guiu returned and Buananotte signed, but the pair are not in Delap or Palmer’s league. A January transfer assault cannot be ruled out, if Palmer and Delap are still disrupted by injuries going into 2026. Sporting Lisbon forward Conrad Harder did emerge as a target on deadline day, but he ended up joining RB Leipzig instead.

Chelsea made a huge amount of money on player sales, but have found themselves short in the centre-forward and No. 10 departments. With Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City investing so heavily in the summer, action may need to be taken in January to ensure the Blues do not get left behind.