Softfootball understands that Chelsea’s injury concerns have deepened, as Liam Delap, who had only just returned after a two-month absence, has been ruled out again, this time with a shoulder injury sustained during the club’s 0-0 Premier League draw with Bournemouth.
Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed this report via his official X account.
He posted:
Enzo Maresca on Delap’s injury: We don’t know yet how long he’s out for. It can be two, three, four weeks. We don’t know exactly. Wesley Fofana is available
Maresca confirmed that the club still isn’t totally sure how long he’ll be missing. He stated that it should be somewhere between two and four weeks, but did not give a firm timeline yet. For a player trying hard to build momentum, it’s a tough blow.
Maresca also confirmed that Wesley Fofana has been cleared to return for the Everton match. Fofana’s presence at the back always seems to calm things down a little, even if he’s also had his own battles with injuries.
Chelsea has not been in the best form lately, going four games without a win across all competitions. It’s a strange contrast to the sharp run they enjoyed earlier in the season, nine wins in eleven matches between late September and November, when everything felt more fluid and confident.
Now the team kind of looks stuck between ideas, and Maresca keeps hinting that consistency is the next big challenge his squad has to get right.
With Everton coming up and the sting of that midweek Chelsea 2-1 defeat to Atlanta in the Champions League still hanging in the air, the Blues badly need a reset moment. Losing Delap isn’t ideal at all, but getting Fofana back might just help tilt things in the right direction again.
