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Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."