Liam Delap's Chelsea transfer is 'not a problem' for Nicolas Jackson, says Florent Malouda

Former Chelsea star Florent Malouda doesn't envision Liam Delap's arrival at Stamford Bridge being a problem for Nicolas Jackson as the pair prepare to battle for the leading role in Enzo Maresca's attack.

Chelsea were determined to bring in a new striker during the summer transfer window and the Blues fought off competition from a catalogue of Premier League clubs to seal a £30m deal for Delap, who scored 12 goals last season despite Ipswich Town's relegation from the Premier League.

The 22-year-old has previous experience of working under Maresca during their time at Manchester City and the Italian is understood to have played a key role in convincing Delap that a switch to Stamford Bridge would best serve his development.

One figure who may not be entirely delighted by Delap's arrival is Senegalese international Jackson, whose position as Chelsea's number nine is now under threat.

Maresca's preference of a 4-2-3-1 formation with a lone striker suggests that one of Delap or Jackson may become increasingly accustomed to the substitutes bench.

However, Malouda, who was a part of Chelsea's 2012 UEFA Champions League winning side, believes Jackson's performances may benefit from the intense competition Delap will provide.

Asked for his thoughts on Jackson's future following Delap's capture, Malouda told bet365: "I don't think it will cause a problem. He [Jackson] settled well and he started to deliver last season.

"I see the situation [Delap's arrival] as more of an option. Jackson operated as the lone striker, but you need options in terms of competition between the players and also tactically if you decide to go with two strikers.

"It will be interesting to see if both can create a relationship, and it could be useful against different types of opponents to create another threat, but it's not a problem.

Chelsea need more options and goalscoring machines.

Delap earned an array of plaudits for a sparkling debut campaign in the Premier League and the young striker is certainly not at the Blues to simply make up the numbers.

Deceptively quick and impressively strong, Delap showcased all of the attributes to suggest he could evolve into a Premier League star and Malouda is excited to see how the striker develops at Stamford Bridge.

"It's quite interesting because he's a young player that was once at Manchester City, so I think he has big potential," the former France international added.

"There's still lots of room to develop and he will need to adjust to the expectations at Chelsea, but I think the manager [Maresca] has a plan to get the best out of him, first by integrating him and then taking him under his wing like he did with Cole Palmer.

"I hope that the process will be as quick as Palmer because Chelsea definitely need the talent to compete at the highest level."

Jaquob Crooke

• Chelsea F.C.
• Premier League
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