Paul Merson tells Enzo Maresca to drop £60m Chelsea player vs West Ham

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Chelsea have another London derby coming up, this time against West Ham United.

The Blues were held to a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace in their opening game of the new Premier League season, and they were not great.

Enzo Maresca’s side will want to get back to winning ways, and they will go into the game against the Hammers as the favourites.

Paul Merson now has some advice for Maresca ahead of the derby.

Paul Merson explains why Liam Delap should start ahead of Joao Pedro for Chelsea vs West Ham

Chelsea signed Joao Pedro from Brighton and Hove Albion for a deal worth up to £60 million (Sky Sports) earlier this summer.

The Brazilian is a fantastic player and quickly won fans over with his performances for the Blues in the Club World Cup.

Those displays earned him a start in Chelsea’s opener against Crystal Palace, but the 23-year-old didn’t really get much service in that game.

Pedro is expected to keep his place in the side for the trip to West Ham, but Merson thinks fellow summer signing Liam Delap would be the better fit because of his physicality.

He wrote on Sportskeeda: “I would play Liam Delap in this game. West Ham are quite physical at the back, and that might not suit Joao Pedro.

“Delap is good with his back to goal and can hold the ball up well. Away from home, he’s a better fit than Pedro in my opinion.”

Joao Pedro has a shocking record vs West Ham United

Pedro may not be as good as Delap with his back to goal, but he is more than good enough to hold his own against physical defenders.

However, against West Ham on Friday night, Maresca will be better off starting Pedro on the bench because his record against the Irons is abysmal.

Pedro hasn’t scored, assisted or even won a game against West Ham despite facing the Irons on six different occasions over the years.

Delap, on the other hand, has won every one of his three games against the Hammers and has directly contributed to two goals in those fixtures.

We know history doesn’t mean anything, but Delap just feels like the better option for Chelsea for the game on Friday night.