Chelsea got back to winning ways against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup on Wednesday night.
It was far from a perfect performance for the Blues, but they were definitely the better team and scored some great goals.
Furthermore, Enzo Maresca’s side would have had an easier time had Liam Delap not been sent off.
The former Ipswich Town star has not had the easiest start to life at Chelsea, but it now looks like more competition from Cobham may be on the horizon.
Liam Delap’s Premier League results
Chelsea paid Ipswich Town around £30m for Delap in the summer. His stock isn’t that high at the moment, but it was still a great trade.
After all, during his time at Manchester City, he scored 35 goals and provided nine assists in 36 games for the Under-23s and was seen as one of the next big things.
Furthermore, he moved to the Tractor Boys last summer and quickly established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting young forwards.
For example, Winchester-born Poacher was able to score 12 goals and provide two assists in 37 appearances and 2,616 minutes despite playing for a relegation-bound team.
In other words, the Englishman was able to be involved in a goal on average every 2.64 games, or every 186.85 minutes for the Suffolk side, which is not bad considering he has only made 10 appearances for City so far.
Delap’s PL record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
team | man city | ipswich | chelsea |
Appearance | 10 | 37 | 3 |
minutes | 47 minutes | 2616′ | 93 minutes |
the goal | 0 | 12 | 0 |
assist | 0 | 2 | 0 |
All stats via Transfermarkt | |||
However, this season he was not so lucky.
Prior to his hamstring injury, he only appeared in three competitions for the Blues during his summer contract, two of which were on the bench, and he failed to score or assist.
He won’t even have a chance to open an account this weekend, having been suspended for the game against Tottenham Hotspur after picking up a second yellow against Wolves.
All in all, Delap is a player with plenty of promise, but at a club like Chelsea forwards don’t always get a lot of time, especially when the most exciting forwards at the moment are coming out of their academy.
Cobham star who could replace Delap
As is the case every season, Chelsea have had a number of incredibly exciting players at Cobham this season, with Chizaram Ezenwata being one of the most notable.
The 17-year-old prodigy, who Under-23 scout Antonio Mango claims fans will be “excited about”, joined the Blues from Charlton Athletic and is already one of the stars of the club’s Under-18 side.
Last season, for example, the dynamic gem played in 20 games, scoring 12 goals and providing 3 assists in just 1,279 total minutes. This means that on average he was involved in a goal every 1.33 games, or every 91.93 minutes.
Impressively, the youngster has become even more of an offensive threat this season.
In just six games for the Under-18s, he played a total of 534 minutes, scoring seven goals and providing one assist, which means he is involved in an average of 1.33 goals per game, or one goal every 66.75 minutes.
Ezenwata’s U18 results | |
|---|---|
Appearance | 26 |
minutes | 1913 |
the goal | 19 |
assist | 4 |
Number of goals involved per match | 0.88 |
Hours per goal involvement | 83.17′ |
All stats via Transfermarkt | |
In fact, the teenage goal machine did a great job with the Under-18s and has now made six appearances for the Under-21s.
But it’s not just the output that excites fans, he appears to be the complete package.
According to one analyst, he “has a strong physique that can protect and hold the ball effectively” and that his “off-ball movement is outstanding.”
All in all, while still in the early stages of his career, Ezenwata appears to be a very nice prospect and one who could rival Delap in game time over the next few years.
