Chelsea want to sign “incredible” rival to Jackson

Chelsea have implemented a brave and ruthless transfer approach over the past few years, signing the best young talent on the market, before they establish themselves at the highest level.

This has included buying the likes of Enzo Fernández from Benfica, many talents from Brazil such as Willian Estevao, and other clever signings like Nicolas Jackson, Malo Gusto and, of course, Cole Palmer.

The Blues clearly want to cover all types of profiles in every department and have done well to do this. However, one area they haven’t yet completed in the squad building department is adding a box-dominant striker to their ranks, and that could be the next port of call.

Chelsea looking at Premier League star

According to David Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic FC Podcast, Chelsea have Ipswich striker, Liam Delap on their radar, as they assess the market for another striker profile to compete with Nicolas Jackson.

Other interested clubs include Tottenham, Manchester United, and even Manchester City, who could re-sign Delap after selling him to Ipswich in the summer.

“Through multiple conversations I had, it was clear that the biggest guns, the so-called top six, members of that, call it elite bracket if you like, such as your Chelsea’s, your Manchester United’s, are taking a very close look. They’re monitoring, they’ve got interest in him.” – Ornstein on Delap.

Many clubs are interested in the 21-year-old forward, as he is showing brilliant signs of development at Ipswich this season, even being picked as the “obvious long-term successor” to Harry Kane in the England team by Danny Murphy.

Delap has made 15 appearances for the Tractor Boys this season, scoring six goals and providing one assist, totalling 1,046 minutes played so far. But the young forward could thrive even more with better creators around him, one of those being Chelsea’s summer signing, Jadon Sancho.

How Jadon Sancho could improve Liam Delap

Since joining the Blues this summer from Manchester United, Sancho has made nine appearances, scoring one goal, providing five assists, and totalling 492 minutes played.

The wide player has already shown his creative qualities, providing those five assists, with a mixture of different tools, picking out teammates with crosses into the box, finding clever passes into the strikers’ feet in the penalty area, and even weaving his way into the box himself with close control.

These creative metrics mixed with the clinical finishing and aerial prowess of Delap would be a brilliant combination, as Sancho would have more of a focal point in the middle to play off, finding those intricate passes into the forward’s feet to hold it up, and finding crosses for him to attack in the air.

Against Crystal Palace, Delap won a whopping eight of his nine aerial duels, which shows exactly the type of striker he is. Standing at 6 foot 1, and having a strong upper body build, it allows the 21-year-old to bully opposition defenders in the box, and configure shots for himself, whether they are on the floor or in the air.

Delap – who is an “incredible” striker in the eyes of Pep Guardiola – would offer Chelsea the perfect striker partner to complement Jackson, giving them different options for different tactical matchups, and therefore presenting Maresca with even more in his toolkit to affect games with tactical decisions both before and during games.