Chelsea set their sights on ‘one of Europe’s most in-form central defenders’

This time last week, it looked like Chelsea would be competing with Arsenal for the Premier League title.

Unfortunately, a humiliating defeat away to Leeds United, followed quickly by a dull 1-all draw away with Bournemouth, has put any such thoughts to rest for now.

There is definitely talent in Enzo Maresca’s side, but there are areas where they can improve, such as in the No. 9 position.

Fortunately, Chelsea are currently linked with someone who can do just that, someone who could be an upgrade to Liam Delap.

Chelsea aim to upgrade Delap

With less than a month until the transfer window reopens, to no one’s surprise, Chelsea are already linked with a number of signings.

For example, the Blues are one of a number of teams linked with Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.

Similarly, RB Leipzig’s incredibly exciting Castello Lukuba is also being touted as a £53m move to Stamford Bridge.

However, while the two defenders will undoubtedly strengthen Maresca’s team, unlike Joaquín Panicelli, neither can and will not replace Delap or João Pedro up top.

Yes, according to recent reports from Spain, Chelsea are one of the few Premier League clubs interested in the RC Strasbourg striker.

The report reveals that, in addition to the West Londoners, West Ham United and Aston Villa are also eyeing the Argentine striker.

The report does not reveal how much the star player’s £28,000-a-week salary is, but given that his contract runs until the summer of 2030, it won’t be cheap.

Still, Chelsea should do everything they can to sign Panichelli, even if it’s bad news for Delap.

Comparison of Panichelli and Delap

It may sound simple, and it is, but the first and most important metric to compare when looking at two strikers is output.

Unfortunately for Delap, this is an area where Panichelli let him beat him, which he comfortably overcame.

So far this season, for example, the Argentine, described by U23 scout Antonio Mango as “one of the most in-form strikers in Europe”, has scored 10 goals in 1,367 minutes in 19 appearances.

In other words, the Cordoba-born gem is involved in a goal on average every 1.9 games, or every 136.7 minutes.

In stark contrast, the Blues’ summer signing saw him score just one goal in 11 games, playing a total of 453 minutes.

The next advantage the former Deportivo Alavés star has over the Englishman is the fact that he seems to be less prone to injuries.

For example, he suffered a severe ACL injury in the 23/24 season that caused him to miss 24 games, but he only missed one game all of last season and has only missed one game so far this year.

Meanwhile, the former Ipswich Town star suffered a knee injury that saw him miss 18 games in 2023/24.

Additionally, he has already missed 12 games this year with a hamstring issue and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury.

Finally, the Winchester-born ace is currently 22 years old, while the Strasbourg star only turned 23 two months ago, so he is significantly younger and therefore doesn’t even have the advantage of a higher ceiling.

After all, Panichelli is clearly the more dangerous forward, and what’s more, he also seems to be less prone to injuries. Chelsea should therefore do everything they can to sign Delap in 2026, even if it means the end of his time at Stamford Bridge.