Liam Delap has ignited excitement at Chelsea with a defiant two-word Instagram post—”Nearly there”—signaling his return from a two-month hamstring injury just in time for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash at Wolves.
The former Ipswich striker, sidelined since early in the season, has rejoined full training in recent days, and head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed he’s back in contention for the fourth-round tie at Molineux. Teammates Pedro Neto and Dario Essugo flooded the comments with support, while the squad welcomed him back with a raucous traditional ‘slap tunnel’ in training—a clear sign of the buzz rippling through the camp.
In another feel-good moment at Cobham, five Blues stars—Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, and Trevoh Chalobah—were presented with framed Chelsea shirts to mark their 100th appearances for the club. Captain Reece James recently received his own tribute for hitting 200 games.
Chelsea head to Wolves eager to rebound from last weekend’s Premier League defeat to Sunderland. The hosts are winless in four, making this an ideal chance for Maresca’s men to advance. The Italian boss hinted at heavy rotation, having rung in 10 changes for each of the last two matches.
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Caicedo, Fernandez, and Joao Pedro—all spotted in training—will likely be rested to “protect” their fitness, per Maresca, paving the way for fringe players and returnees like Delap to stake their claim.