Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has seemingly already lined up a replacement for one of his first-team players axed from the defeat to Fulham on Saturday. The Blues went down to a damaging 2-1 derby loss at the hands of their London rivals at Stamford Bridge, leaving them seven points off leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has heaped praise on Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap amid links with a move to Stamford Bridge in 2025.

The opening of a transfer window usually means the opening of the chequebook at Chelsea, but January is expected to provide a break with recent tradition. The club’s hierarchy viewed the summer window as the culmination of a cycle that saw almost the entire first-team squad overhauled and with Enzo Maresca’s team flying high in the Premier League,