Delap loses number nine shirt & trains away from first team
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- Liam Delap lost the number nine shirt at Chelsea, which has been reassigned to Joao Pedro, and is now training in a separate group at Cobham ahead of potential summer sale.
- Chelsea placed 12 players in a second training group on Wednesday, including Nicolas Jackson, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Axel Disasi, with academy players also involved and movement between groups remaining possible.
- Chelsea are demanding £65m for Nicolas Jackson, £50m for Delap, and £25m for Axel Disasi as they attempt to reduce a 40-player senior squad before the 1 September window closes.
- Chelsea club sources insist the current setup is "nothing like" last season's "bomb squad" approach that froze out Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi — a stance the Professional Footballers' Association has raised no objections to, in contrast to last year.
- Mykhailo Mudryk has not played a competitive match since November 2024 but is now available on loan after resolving a doping case, with the 25-year-old attracting transfer interest.
- Liam Delap joined Chelsea for £30m from Ipswich Town last summer but managed just one Premier League goal across 28 appearances, with 16 of those coming as a substitute.
Why it matters: Chelsea are asking a combined £140m for Delap (£50m), Jackson (£65m), and Disasi (£25m) as they attempt to trim a bloated 40-player senior squad before the 1 September deadline, framing the separate training group as a measured alternative to last season's PFA-flagged "bomb squad" treatment of Sterling and Disasi.
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