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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games

A midfielder and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."