Are We Getting The Chelsea Striker Question Wrong?

The loose end to Chelsea’s mostly positive transfer window saw Nicolas Jackson refuse to board his Lufthansa flight back to Heathrow and Marc Guiu’s gap year hastily cut short.

Liam Delap’s hamstring injury against Fulham has ruled him out until November leaving 19-year-old Guiu as the only depth to a currently firing Joao Pedro.

Chelsea from this Saturday will embark on a run of seven fixtures across three competitions before we hit the next international break.

Guiu is a tool with some very rough edges when precise instruments are required. The Spanish striker racked up a slim 71 league minutes for Chelsea last season, all from the bench after signing from Barcelona.

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The majority of his playtime came in the Conference League against opponents Chelsea brushed aside with their slippers on. The loan to promoted Sunderland felt a risk given The Black Cats desire to avoid relegation compared to a Championship club.

Even if his time in Sunderland was very short lived, the evidence of their opening three league games paints a concerning picture. Guiu earned a total of 13 minutes under Regis Le Bris, with his only start coming in a home Carabao Cup loss to League 1 Huddersfield on penalties.

Guiu did score in that game but in doing so, cup-tied himself out of Chelsea’s upcoming trip to Lincoln, where he would have been a guaranteed starter.

The truth is, we simply do not have enough evidence to fully judge what Guiu is at Chelsea .

Player comparison via McLachApp

Guiu has some promising tools at his disposal. A taller frame which could offer Maresca the chance to mould him into a physical threat and a clear work ethic that makes him an aggressive presser off the ball.

These are traits that could fulfill the role Delap was starting to occupy to aid Pedro’s retreat to a deeper playmaker. Guiu did intrigue supporters in the very brief glimpses seen last season. His disruptive influence at home to West Ham in February, a game he unfortunately suffered a long-term injury in.

Fighting against the cynicism of Chelsea’s mass trading policy, it would be nice if the $6m punt for a La Masia hopeful was not a flip for profit act but actually a low-risk play that reaps high rewards.

Obstacles can also be opportunties. The ACL injury to Levi Colwill has potentially opened a pathway for Cobham breakthrough Josh Acheampong to establish himself in Maresca’s defence. The fallout with Jackson and Delap has now opened up a path that seemed impossible only weeks ago.

Maresca, Guiu and Chelsea simply have to find a way to make this situation work. Guiu has to prove capable of handling significant minutes he did not gain last season.

Maresca will be tasked with moulding a player that was not in his initial plan. For Guiu, this could be a career-altering chance he must rise to.

You can follow my coverage of Chelsea on YouTube at SonOfChelsea . More written coverage of the club on Substack . Follow me on X for more thoughts, along with listening to the podcast .