Chelsea must make Emanuel Emegha transfer call after Liam Delap blow

Chelsea should move to bring Emanuel Emegha to Stamford Bridge in the January window rather than next summer after Liam Delap suffered another major injury.

Chelsea spent big over the summer window as they aimed to back Enzo Maresca with more firepower in attack, with Joao Pedro joining the club from Brighton and Delap arriving from Ipswich Town.

Neither player has particularly hit the heights expected of them so far, with just five goals across a combined 28 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League.

Delap suffered a serious shoulder injury against Bournemouth last time out, with initial reports revealing that he faces up to two months on the sidelines.

Chelsea arguably do not have adequate striker options when they are all fit, let alone with Delap injured, and so they would be wise to accelerate Emegha‘s move next month to provide more quality and depth in the final third.

Chelsea have signed Emegha from sister club Strasbourg for next summer

September saw Chelsea announce that Emanuel Emegha will be joining them in the summer of 2026 from sister club Strasbourg following an impressive 2024-25 Ligue 1 campaign.

He bagged 14 goals and three assists in 27 league appearances last term to help Strasbourg to a seventh-placed finish and Europa Conference League qualification.

The 22-year-old has continued his fine form this season with seven goals and two assists in 11 appearances, while also being handed his first two Netherlands caps by Ronald Koeman last month as a result.

Emegha’s impending move to Chelsea may have affected his mindset, however, with Strasbourg suspending him from their last match against Toulouse due to a “failure to respect the club’s values, expectations and rules.“

Emegha should move to Stamford Bridge in January rather than after the end of the season

It certainly looks to be in the best interests of all parties involved for Emegha to join the Blues as soon as the January window opens rather than ahead of next season.

Delap is likely to be out until the start of February, with the club making sure he is fully recovered before featuring again due to this already being his second major injury of the campaign.

Joao Pedro is a solid option as a centre-forward but has not scored regularly since joining Chelsea, while Marc Guiu has struggled this season since being recalled from a loan at Sunderland due to Delap’s August injury.

Emegha’s scoring record in France is superb, and he clearly has the potential to become the Blues’ first-choice in the years to come ahead of Delap as they prepare to battle it out next season.

He has already seemingly burned his bridges somewhat at Strasbourg, despite becoming their club captain in June, but Chelsea should not be fearful of any attitude issues considering his impending move is likely the reason why he has acted out.

Their lack of depth and quality at centre-forward, as well as uncertainty around Delap’s fitness, could cost Chelsea this season in the race for Champions League qualification and cup silverware.

The Daily Mail has reported that they are not planning to bring Emegha’s signing forward in January, but they must reverse such a decision and get him through the door as soon as possible.

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