For years, Chelsea have been trying to find a world-class striker to lead the line. Diego Costa was the last one to fit that role. Since then, the club have brought in many big names. The likes of Alvaro Morata, Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, and more. Nobody was able to make the spot their own.
In the summer, Chelsea signed two more strikers. They brought in Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and Joao Pedro from Brighton & Hove Albion.
To be fair, Pedro has been phenomenal since Liam Rosenior became manager. He was also instrumental in Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph in the summer. There is a player in there.
As for Delap, things have been far tougher. He has only managed to score three goals in 31 appearances for Chelsea. That is nowhere near good enough. As a result, rumours have cropped up suggesting that the Blues could be ready to move on at the end of the season.
Who will replace Delap if Chelsea part ways?
If Chelsea do decide to part ways with Delap in the summer, they will need to bring in a replacement. There have been suggestions that Nicolas Jackson could return, now that the club have a new manager. But signing a new one would not be a bad idea either.
Darwin Nunez has been linked with a return to the Premier League lately. The former Liverpool striker has been left out of Al-Hilal’s squad after the arrival of Karim Benzema. Could he be the answer to Chelsea’s woes?
Marcel Desailly seems to believe so. He told FootItalia: “I would actually recommend Núñez for Chelsea. He’s a very good player, a smart player – he just needs the right environment to perform. When Liverpool identified his potential they knew what they had statistically. But when you start on a bad note, the confidence disappears and the consideration from those around you follows. It’s like Dennis Bergkamp going to Inter Milan – things went completely wrong. Or Roberto Carlos in his early days, shooting the ball into the stands. The confidence wasn’t there. That’s what happened to Núñez at Liverpool. But the quality is still there. He’s at Al-Hilal now and has scored around six goals in sixteen matches – not bad at all. He’s still only 26.
“I’m pleased to see him wanting to come back to European football – it shows money isn’t everything. A club like Chelsea, or the new Manchester United, would be best for him.”
Would Darwin Nunez be a good signing for Chelsea?
Nunez was heavily criticised during his time at Liverpool. So, it is safe to say that a lot of Chelsea fans won’t be eager for him to end up at Stamford Bridge. Would he be a better option than Delap? Most probably.
Nunez was brilliant during his time at Benfica, scoring 48 goals and providing 16 assists in 85 games. His stint at Anfield might be a bit underrated as well.
Nunez scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists in 95 Premier League games. He did play just 4861 minutes though. That means he was averaging a goal contribution every 119 minutes and scoring every 194 minutes. Not bad at all.
Also, considering he seems to be out of plans at Al-Hilal, he is expected to be available for a bargain fee. This one might be worth considering for Chelsea.
