Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has urged the Blues to sign Brentford striker Igor Thiago amid Liam Delap’s poor form this season.
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After Ipswich were relegated last summer, Chelsea beat out interest from Manchester United and signed Delap for £30 million.
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Delap did struggle, however, scoring just two goals in 25 games, one of which came in the Premier League.
Pat Nevin urges Chelsea to sign Igor Thiago
Joao Pedro, on the other hand, has been in fine form, scoring 11 league goals this season and looking to be one of last summer’s best signings.
Chelsea brought in Emmanuel Emerga from Strasbourg in the summer but have previously been linked with Thiago.
Thiago has scored 17 league goals this season. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
The Brazilian striker has scored 17 league goals this season and Nevin has urged the Blues to bring in the Brentford star.
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“Given the route they just tried, if there’s one that’s closest, it’s probably Igor Thiago,” he told TEAMtalk.
“Because you see that and think, OK, well, you’re scoring goals in the Premier League and you’re only 24.
“By the way, there are a lot of problems with a lot of other players and it’s not just Chelsea. It’s really not just Chelsea.
“This is Manchester United too. They look around and think, yes, they scored a lot of goals in Germany or Italy. That’s different. That’s completely different; it doesn’t always translate.
“So the guy who’s doing it in the Premier League at the moment, maybe he’s that guy.”
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Liam Rogniol backs Chelsea striker
Despite Delap’s poor form this season, Liam Rognior has backed the England Under-21 international to improve next season.
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It often takes time for players to adapt, especially if they made as much progress as Delap did last summer, but the pressure will be constant.
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There are huge expectations for Chelsea and while the first season may be seen as an adaptation period to some extent, next season certainly will not be the case and he needs to deliver on his promise.
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