Chelsea’s first trophy since 2021 should be expected to offer some honors to Enzo Maresca in the bank and give him the confidence to strengthen his team before winning the Champions League next season.
The Bruce’s 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the Conference League final means they are the first team to win the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Cup, and is now the latest game on the calendar.
Given the quality of their team, that’s certainly expected, but the 1-0 comeback on Wednesday evening is still great.
This sets the side of the Stamford Bridge for the fantastic World Cup and summer transfer windows. It seems they are closing in the first signing…
Chelsea closes Liam Delap
Liam Delap is one of the most important centers in the Premier League as he is impressive in the game.
Despite the relegation of Ipswich Town, Delap scored 12 times in his 37 games for the Tractor Boys. Finally, his target participation accounts for 39% of Ipswich’s total number of top flights.
These pre-goal loopholes certainly attracted many admirers, including Everton, Manchester United and Newcastle United, although the Blues seem to have won the game. Fabrizio Romano has posted news about his upcoming move to London on X, revealing that the “Agreement” has been reached.
Chelsea bargained for £30m, especially if he continues to achieve significant success at the club in the coming years.
Delap is only 22 years old and has not reached his peak as a player. No doubt his breakthrough sport for Ipswich has given the British some knowledge of top football.
Although he may have scored 12 goals last season, Drapp usually tends to go deeper, closely related to the ones behind him. Therefore, he is very good at kickoff and regularly defends the opposition.
Compared to his positional companions in the Premier League, the former Manchester City star ranks in the top 10% (46.5%) of success (46.5%) and in the top 12% (1.39) of every 90 successful divisions (1.39).
The player will successfully take over when he or she keeps possession by directly defeating them.
Combining this fact, he ranks in the top 23% of the last third (1.6) in the highest flight, which is obvious that Delap has done some of the best work outside the free throw field.
This all-round game will fit Maresca’s style and ensure Delap is not quarantined by isolated forwards.
Fighting against other teams to ensure Delap’s signature is a coup for Chelsea. But can Maresca take the stage further, perhaps bringing someone with a potentially greater talent than young people?
Chelsea continues to look for forwards
Viktor Gyokeres has been designated as a potential signature for the Blues, but Arsenal seems to be a favorite of the Swedish feel.
Victor Osimhen is also on the club’s radar, but one player Maresca wants to bring to Stamford Bridge is Hugo Ekitiké’s Eintracht Frankfurt Centre.
Although progress appears to be being made, any potential move could cost the club about €100 million (£84 million) this summer.
As reported by Mercato, interest in the French striker appears to be intensifying and talks have been held.
According to the report, a meeting planned this week involving Chelsea and the players’ agents, Frankfurt has begun working to acquire replacements.
Can the Blues get closer and closer to signing another offensive talent?
Why Hugo Ekitike can become a Delap upgrade immediately
Despite being the same age as Delap, the former PSG forward has performed longer.
Indeed, he made his debut in Ligue 1 for the 2020/21 season, scoring 11 goals for Stade Reims in just 28 games in France’s top-tier matches.
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This season, Delap and Ekitike are compared in the country |
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|---|---|---|
|
Metric (per 90*) |
delap |
ekitike |
|
shooting* |
2.29 |
4 |
|
Shooting action* |
2.15 |
3.55 |
|
Actions to create goals* |
0.24 |
0.42 |
|
Progressive carrying |
61 |
93 |
|
Touch on the offensive end |
92 |
196 |
|
Statistics via FBREF |
||
It’s a very high development ceiling to see PSG sign him in the summer of 2022. The lofty expectations of the French capital meant that he scored only three goals for the club, second only to 14 games.
In fact, he can’t replace Paris’s big wins with Lionel Messi, Kelian Mbappe and Neymar. So moving to Frankfurt in the summer of 2023 provides a lot of solace.
Indeed, in his first two seasons in the Bundesliga, Ekitike scored 26 goals and 14 assists in 64 games. This is the goal participation in every 1.6 games.
Analyst and author Sam McGuire recently referred to Ekitike as a “shooting monster” and a “real target threat”, and he proved this season that he deserves another chance among European big heavyweights.
The young Frenchman radiates excellent statistics compared to his peers in the top five leagues in Europe.
Not only did he rank the highest shooting move (3.5), but he ranks in the offensive free throw zone (6.73) per 90 points, but he ranks the highest in the top 4% of the progressive attacks (3.04) and every 90 successful breakups (1.9) in the first 365 days.
Like Delap, he could also connect with the midfield more deeply, but it was clear that he had much more threats than the British offered.
Paying £84m for Ekitike is likely a big gamble for Chelsea, but given his recent statistics on Frankfurt, he has all the tools in England.
Delap may be a local talent, but the Frenchman looks like he has a higher ceiling. This is for sure.
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