Delap loses number nine shirt & trains away from first team

WHAT HAPPENED
Chelsea forward Liam Delap has been stripped of the club's number nine shirt and is training in a smaller group separate from Xabi Alonso's main squad at Cobham. Joao Pedro has taken over the number nine jersey.

Several other first-team players who could move before the transfer window closes on 1 September are also in the secondary group. Names reported in that group include Nicolas Jackson, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo, Axel Disasi, plus new signings Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson; academy players are also involved and the group size varies.

KEY CONTEXT
Club sources have emphasised the current arrangement is not the same as the highly criticised "bomb squad" method used last season when some players were effectively frozen out. Last summer fringe players trained at different times and locations — a process that prompted contact from the Professional Footballers' Association — but it is understood the PFA has no similar concerns about this year's setup. Chelsea have around 40 senior players on their roster and are attempting to reduce that number before the transfer deadline.

WHY IT MATTERS
The training split highlights which players the club regards as potentially surplus as the window approaches. Chelsea have set asking prices for several of those involved — £65m for Jackson, £50m for Delap and £25m for Disasi — signalling they are prepared to sell. Mudryk, who has not played a competitive match since November 2024, is available for loan after resolving a doping case, making him a candidate for departure as well.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Whether any of the players in the secondary group complete transfers or loans before 1 September.
- Movement between the smaller group and the main squad, since the club says players can return and the numbers fluctuate.
- Interest in Tosin Adarabioyo from Benfica, Marseille and Premier League clubs, and if that leads to an offer.

KEY FACTS
- Liam Delap has lost the number nine shirt; Joao Pedro now holds it.
- Delap joined Chelsea from Ipswich for £30m last summer and scored one Premier League goal in 28 appearances (16 as a substitute).
- Chelsea are asking £65m for Nicolas Jackson, £50m for Delap and £25m for Axel Disasi.
- Mykhailo Mudryk (25) has not played competitively since November 2024 but is now cleared to play and is available for loan.
- Around 12 players were in the smaller training group on Wednesday; the figure fluctuates and includes academy players.
- Chelsea have about 40 senior players on their books as they try to trim the squad before the transfer window closes.