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Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "carefully", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has found ways to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."