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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

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

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."