Chelsea and the strangest summer transfer no one is talking about

When you make 50 odd transfers in a single window like Chelsea did this summer, you’re bound to get one or two things wrong but one decision from the Stamford Bridge side stands out as being glaringly awful.

The Blues’ decision to bolster their striking ranks by signing Liam Delap and Joao Pedro was a logical move given the inconsistency of Nicolas Jackson last season, but what they did after that makes no sense at all.

With three front-line strikers at Stamford Bridge, Marc Guiu was allowed to go out on loan to Sunderland. The 19-year-old made an exciting start at the Stadium of Light, scoring against Huddersfield in the League Cup, then getting Premier League minutes in the two subsequent fixtures.

Delap’s hamstring injury changed everything for him, though. With the former Ipswich striker facing several weeks on the sidelines, Chelsea brought Guiu back from his loan spell.

Had Enzo Maresca any intention of using the 19-year-old, this would be a logical step, yet it appears the Italian is determined only to deploy the Spaniard in the direst of circumstances.

Will Maresca use Guiu?

Since his return to Stamford Bridge a month ago, Guiu has not received a single minute of competitive football for the Blues. His sole outing was 11 minutes for Spain U21 in a 3-0 win over Cyprus.

He has watched from the bench as Chelsea have lost to Manchester United and Brighton in the Premier League, while he did not feature in the League Cup against Lincoln because the Blues were embarrassingly unaware of a rule change that could have allowed him to play.

If Guiu is feeling peripheral, seeing winger Tyrique George preferred to him in the No.9 role for Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Benfica will not have helped.

This came in the wake of Chelsea announcing that they will sign Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha next season.

With Maresca preferring George as a centre-forward, it begs the question if he will ever be used. In turn, the logic of Chelsea’s decision to recall him from his loan at Sunderland deserves scrutiny as it threatens stalling the player’s development at a valuable moment in his career.

There is still time. Delap is not expected to return until November or possibly December. If Guiu has not had any minutes by that point, it really is time to start wondering if his career at Stamford Bridge is over already.

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