Overview

• The 22-year-old is on a roughly 10-week recovery plan and does not require surgery, with a training return penciled in for November.
• Delap pulled up during the August 30 win at Fulham, and an initial six-to-eight week estimate has been revised to about 10 weeks.
• The timeline rules him out of the start of Chelsea’s Champions League campaign and potentially as many as 10–12 matches in a congested autumn run.
• In response, Chelsea brought back 19-year-old Marc Guiu from a planned loan and considered reversing Nicolas Jackson’s move to Bayern before letting it proceed.
• Chelsea also confirmed midfielder Dário Essugo has had successful thigh surgery and has begun his recovery at Cobham.