Chelsea injury news: Liam Delap recovery 'timeline' revealed after shoulder issue against Bournemouth

Chelsea have reportedly discovered the likely recovery timeline for Liam Delap after he suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday.

During the first half of the goalless draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, Delap was involved in a tangle with Marcos Senesi at a corner.

Delap came off the worse of the two and needed to be substituted by Enzo Maresca in the 32nd minute.

As it stands, there has been no official update, aside from Maresca conceding after the game that it was "quite bad".

According to talkSPORT, Chelsea have been given an idea of how many matches that Delap could miss.

© Imago / Sportsphoto

Chelsea learn Delap 'timeline'

The report alleges that the 22-year-old will not be in a position to return to action until the middle of January at the very earliest.

He may miss as many as eight weeks, which would keep him sidelined until the start of February.

Chelsea currently have as many as 13 matches to play between now and the end of January, but that would increase if they progress to the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Delap has already missed two months this season after suffering a hamstring injury at the end of August.

In total, the former Ipswich Town star has made six starts and five substitute outings in 2025-26, but he is yet to feature for longer than 67 minutes in a single fixture.

© Imago / Sportimage

How will Chelsea handle Delap absence?

With Cole Palmer having recently returned to the squad, Joao Pedro could be viewed as first-choice centre-forward for the foreseeable future.

Marc Guiu is also in line for regular game time, but the Spanish youngster has still only made two starts for the club this season.

Despite speculation persisting that he will be sold or loaned out in January, Tyrique George will also be promoted up the pecking order after just one brief substitute outing in over a month.

Pedro Neto - like he did against Barcelona - will also come into contention.

Chelsea are yet to decide whether to bring Emanuel Emegha to the club from Strasbourg in January or at the end of the season. If George leaves, there is the possibility of the Netherlands international arriving at Stamford Bridge on January 1.