Chelsea won the race for Liam Delap earlier this month, signing the 22-year-old from Ipswich Town following their relegation to the Championship.
He has already made an impact, assisting Enzo Fernandez in Chelsea‘s 2-0 win against Los Angeles FC in the Club World Cup on Monday.
Delap is now hoping to score goals for the Blues, and Nicolas Jackson may end up being the only thing that stands in his way. Both players will be competing for a starting spot next term.
Chelsea have been linked with other centre-forwards, but one name no longer appears to be an option for them after Delap‘s arrival.
Chelsea cool interest in Benjamin Sesko
In the past, The Chelsea Chronicle has been told that Sesko is a player Chelsea like. However, a move to Stamford Bridge now looks to be firmly off the table.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea removed Sesko from their shortlist once they completed the signing of Delap.
The outlet claims that while the Blues have admired the RB Leipzig star for three years, they think his playing style is very similar to Delap’s and feel Enzo Maresca no longer needs him as a result.
It is possible that Sesko still ends up in the Premier League, though. As per Sky in Germany (via Sky Sports), Arsenal could sign Sesko in a deal worth around £70m as they look to bring in a new striker themselves this summer.
Theo Walcott actually wanted Arsenal to recruit Delap, but his former club never made a move for the England Under-21 international.
How Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap compare
Sesko and Delap’s league stats were not too dissimilar last season, which is a good look for the latter.
Sesko was playing in a stronger team and weaker division compared to Delap but only managed to score one more goal. Delap did play more games, however.
| Player | Games | Minutes | Goals | Shots per game | xG | xG difference |
| Benjamin Sesko | 33 | 2,399 | 13 | 2.1 | 10.22 | 2.78 |
| Liam Delap | 37 | 2,613 | 12 | 1.8 | 11.7 | 0.3 |
All in all, Sesko may have a very high ceiling. But right now, there is not a £40m difference between the Slovenian and Delap going off their most recent league campaigns. Chelsea signing Delap for £30m was incredible business.
