Liam Delap stripped of No.9 and placed in separate training group at Cobham
Chelsea striker Liam Delap has lost the club's number nine shirt and is training away from the first team at the club's Cobham training ground on 19 August 2026 as the summer transfer window approaches its 1 September deadline. Other players, including Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson, are being prepared in a second training group that could see movement before the window closes.
A number of those in the secondary group are understood to be potential departures before 1 September, but club sources say the arrangement is not comparable to the last season's "bomb squad" approach. Last summer fringe players such as Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi trained at different times, on different pitches and in separate buildings, a course of action that prompted the Professional Footballers' Association to contact Chelsea. It is understood the players' union has no such concerns about the current training setup.
The smaller group trains adjacent to Xabi Alonso's main squad and this week included defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi alongside new signings Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson. There were 12 players in the smaller group on Wednesday, although that number fluctuates. Academy players have also been involved and movement between the two groups remains possible.
The club has placed explicit valuations on several players: Chelsea are seeking £65m for Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, £50m for Liam Delap and have set a £25m asking price for Axel Disasi. Jackson spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich. Chelsea are attempting to reduce the size of their squad before the end of the summer transfer window, with 40 senior players on their books.
Delap joined Chelsea in a £30m move from Ipswich Town last summer and scored one Premier League goal in 28 Premier League appearances, 16 of which were as a substitute. He had been awarded the number nine shirt, but that squad number has now been handed to Joao Pedro.
Mykhailo Mudryk, 25, has not played a competitive match since November 2024; he is now free to play after resolving a doping case and is available on loan. Tosin, 28, is attracting interest from Benfica, Marseille and a number of Premier League clubs.
With the transfer window closing on 1 September, Chelsea remain focused on trimming their 40-player senior squad and players placed in the separate training group are available to move before that deadline.
