Chelsea dealt 'blow' in race for Premier League striker as ex-Blues man labels Manchester City a 'mess'
Chelsea could sign a Premier League forward - but there’s a catch.
Another Premier League game week awaits us - West Ham United will face Arsenal, Manchester United will play Everton and Liverpool will take on Manchester City at the weekend. In the meantime, here are all the biggest rumours from around England’s top division.
Chelsea are looking to sign an in form Premier League striker over the course of the January transfer window - however, Manchester City could disrupt their plans.
Meanwhile, City suffered an ignominious result in the Champions League last night, when they forfeited a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord. A talkSPORT pundit thinks their era of dominance could be at its end, noting their ‘terrible’ recent performances.
Chelsea ‘keen’ on Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap but face competition from Manchester City
Chelsea are looking to bolster their striker options in January. One target that they have identified is Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, but they are not alone in the race.
Manchester City are also thought to be in interested - according to Football Insider, it is ‘believed’ that the Citizens inserted a buy-back clause into Delap’s contract when they sold him to the Tractor Boys earlier this year. City are ‘seriously’ considering activating this clause to bring him back to the Etihad Stadium. This would scupper Chelsea’s plans to snap up the 21-year-old, as they would have priority in the transfer race.
So far this season, Delap has made 13 appearances in all competitions for Ipswich, scoring six goals and notching up a single assist along the way. Ipswich are in the relegation zone, but Delap has nonetheless been a standout player for them thus far.
Jason Cundy says ‘wheels have come off’ for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
It’s not a newsflash at this point - Manchester City are a club in crisis. It seems their era of invincibility could be over, as Pep Guardiola’s men have not won a competitive game for over a month.
Their capitulation against Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday night was just another embarrassment for the reigning Premier League champions. Pundit Jason Cundy believes that the Sky Blues are a ‘mess’ and that it will be Guardiola’s ‘biggest job ever’ to reverse their fortunes.
Speaking with TalkSPORT, Cundy said: "Tonight, [the] wheels have come off. Look, Spurs were brilliant on the weekend. City were terrible, they got turned over in the Premier League. Their press, there is no joined-up thinking. Pep has signed a new deal, which is good for City. But right now, this is probably going to be his biggest job ever in management to turn this around. They are a mess.
“I'm watching Man City against your lot [Tottenham] on the weekend. I'm watching Spurs bop the ball around deep in their own half. Not only that, Spurs get out, there's an overload, three versus one, on the right hand side. How is that happening? That never happens.
“Spurs were magnificent. City, terrible. Watching tonight, they don't look comfortable at 3-0 up. How can that happen? The wheels have come off tonight, officially. Spurs at the weekend, they were wobbling. Tonight, the wheels have come off.”