Chelsea have been urged to pursue a move for Brentford striker Igor Thiago as a possible substitute for Liam Delap.
Delap turned down an approach from Manchester United to sign for Chelsea for £30million last summer, but has endured a difficult begin to life at Stamford Bridge.
The English striker has scored two goals in 21 appearances in all competitions, with the arrival of Liam Rosenior, who he thrived under at Hull, yet to revitalise the 23-year-old’s fortunes at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking recently, Jamie Carragher suggested that Delap might need made a mistake by jumping straight to Chelsea from Ipswich.
And former Blues winger Pat Nevin admitted that Delap’s goal concern is a priority, telling TEAMtalk: ‘It’s a funny thing with Liam, since the numbers aren’t good, are they?
‘Is it one goal to date within the Premier League? Something like that, which just isn’t what you wish. You expect loads higher than that for a big-money signing.
‘And he did a lot better at Ipswich before the switch. But you ask Chelsea fans they usually quite like him. The rationale is that he works hard, and he makes space for other people. He’s one among those strikers who possibly won’t rating as much.
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‘It’s the old Chelsea problem. Over time, for such an extended time, they spent lots of money on centre-forwards. Up to now it was barely older ones, however it never quite worked the best way they wanted, so it’s hard to see where the particular problem is. Where else do you go? Who else do you search for?
‘Should you can get someone higher who’s going so as to add more, then superb. But they’ve passed through so many. [Nicolas] Jackson within the last couple of years – you’ll be able to keep going back. You possibly can go all the best way back to [Andriy] Shevchenko. So it’s been a troublesome position for Chelsea to get right.
‘But I believe if they may get someone who they felt could almost guarantee them 15 to twenty a season, they’d lose Liam and they’d lose anyone simply to get that player.’
Should Chelsea look to reinvest their funds in the summertime, Nevin wondered whether Brentford striker Thiago would tick loads of boxes after a breakout season under Keith Andrews, which has seen him already bag 17 league goals.
‘You have to fit into Chelsea’s rules, because it were – younger players wanted now,’ he added.
‘In actual fact, what number of on this planet are you able to take a look at and say, right, he’s a stick-on to get 15 or 20 a season, and also you’re young and also you’re coming through? It just doesn’t exist, really. So it’s a troublesome one for them, but they’ll keep trying.
‘Given the route they’re trying just now – if there was one which was closest, it could probably be Igor Thiago. Since you take a look at that and think, right, okay, you’re scoring within the Premier League, and you might be only 24.
‘A variety of the issue with lots of the opposite players that you simply get — and this isn’t just Chelsea, by the best way. This seriously isn’t just Chelsea. That is Manchester United as well.
‘They give the impression of being around and think, yes, they scored lots of goals in Germany or Italy. That’s different. That’s totally different; it doesn’t all the time translate.
‘So someone who’s currently doing it within the Premier League, possibly he’s the one.’
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