Chelsea still have plenty to play for over the next two months as they fight to end the 2024/25 campaign with a trophy to show for their efforts on the pitch.
The Blues have one foot in the semi-finals of the Conference League after they travelled to Poland to hammer Legia Warsaw 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash on Thursday evening.
Tyrique George opened the scoring, with his first senior goal for the club, and Noni Madueke scored twice to secure a comfortable victory for Enzo Maresca’s side.
The Blues will be hoping to win their first Conference League trophy to claim a piece of silverware in the manager’s first season at the club, whilst also attempting to qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League and now know that the top five in the division will qualify for Europe’s premier cup competition, which means that they are in a great position at this moment in time.
Despite the fact that it could be a successful end to the season, the Blues are reportedly active in the market ahead of the summer – with Liam Delap one player who is of interest to the London giants.
Why Chelsea want to sign Liam Delap
It was recently reported that Chelsea are serious about a deal to sign the England U21 international, and that they have already opened talks to snap him up from Ipswich Town.
The 22-year-old striker is set to be relegated to the Championship with the Tractor Boys, who are 12 points adrift with seven matches left to play, and the Blues could take advantage of that to bring the forward to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Despite Ipswich’s struggles in the Premier League this season, the former Manchester City centre-forward has proven his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
He has scored 12 goals in 30 appearances in the division, despite his team having only scored 31 times in 31 games in the league, and outscored current Chelsea number nine Nicolas Jackson.
As you can see in the graphic above, Delap has been significantly more clinical with the ‘big chances’ that have come his way than Jackson has for the Blues this term.
This may be why Chelsea are interested in signing the English youngster when the summer transfer window opens for business later this year, because he could improve the team’s ruthlessness in the final third.
The Blues, however, have now been linked with interest in a player who could be a even better signing than Delap from another Premier League team.
Chelsea have made contact to sign Premier League star
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Chelsea are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign central defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, and Liverpool are the other Premier League sides keen on a swoop for the Spain international, who has caught the eye with the Cherries this season.
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It states that all four of those clubs, as well as Chelsea, have made contact with the player’s representatives to see where his head is at ahead of the summer.
Ornstein’s report adds that the Spanish centre-back has a £50m release clause in his current contract with Bournemouth, which would allow teams to snap him up without having to have drawn out discussions with his club.
It reveals that the Cherries and Huijsen both want a transfer, or for him to commit to staying at the Vitality, as early as possible in the window, to avoid any late drama.
This means that Chelsea could get a deal for the young central defender wrapped up early, allowing them to focus on other positions later i the window.
Why Huijsen would be a better signing than Delap
Whilst Delap would be an excellent addition to the squad, for the reasons mentioned earlier, Huijsen would be an even better signing for the Blues for several reasons.
Firstly, the Spanish colossus is three years younger than the Ipswich sensation and this means that Chelsea could get more out of him in the long-term, assuming both players are successful and go on to be long-serving performers at Stamford Bridge.
Secondly, Huijsen is already accustomed to playing in a team that wins games fairly regularly, as Bournemouth are tenth in the division and have won 12 and lost ten. This means that he could hit the ground running for the Blues in a team that is on the front foot and expected to perform well as a team.
Whereas, Ipswich have only won four of their 31 matches and this means that Delap has often been chasing long balls or trying to fashion chances for himself against the run of play, which would be completely different to the way that Chelsea play with their possession-based football under Maresca.
That is not to say that the English ace could not adapt to the new style, but it suggests that Huijsen is less of a gamble and has a greater chance of hitting the ground running.
Delap is also yet to show that he can create chances for his teammates on a consistent basis, with 0.7 key passes per game, three ‘big chances’ created, and just two assists in 30 league matches.
Whereas, Huijsen, who football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed as “extremely dominant”, has excelled at both parts of the game in his respective position at centre-back, by offering consistent quality in and out of possession.
Non-penalty goals
0.09
Top 10%
Shot-creating actions
1.64
Top 5%
Progressive passes
4.49
Top 20%
Progressive carries
1.45
Top 8%
Blocks
1.50
Top 25%
Interceptions
2.10
Top 1%
Clearances
6.78
Top 4%
As you can see in the table above, the Spain international ranks incredibly highly among his positional peers when it comes to progressing play to create chances in possession, whilst also being an outstanding defender who is typically in the right place at the right time to make vital interceptions and clearances.
This suggests that there are not many, if any, flaws in the 19-year-old star’s game, whilst there does seem to still be some gaps in Delap’s development, and that is why he could be an even better addition than the England U21 international.
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The Blues could bolster their squad by signing both of these young talents in the summer transfer window, but – for the reasons listed here – Huijsen should be their top priority.