Liam Delap will wear the No 9 shirt at Chelsea after completing a £30million transfer to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich.
The 22-year-old, who became Enzo Maresca’s second signing of the summer after Dario Essugo, is the latest occupant of he famous jersey as the Blues prepare for life back in the Champions League next season.
The two clubs came to an agreement over Delap last week, and after undergoing a medical put pen to paper on a long-term contract in west London on Wednesday.
The Blues have now confirmed that Delap will take on the No 9 jersey, which has proved rather unlucky for a succession of Chelsea strikers over the years. The last player to wear the ‘cursed’ strip was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who inherited it for a short period in 2023.
It had been the jersey of Romelu Lukaku, who rejoined the side in a £98m deal in 2021.
The Belgian moved to Naples last summer for £30million, three years after joining the Blues from Inter Milan. However, his return to Stamford Bridge proved to be disastrous, as after a positive start, he fell out of favour, spending successive seasons on loan at Inter and Roma back in Italy.
Chelsea completed the signing of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap in a £30milllion deal this week
Delap impressed for Ipswich in what was a poor season for the club, scoring 12 league goals
Romelu Lukaku was handed the No 9 jersey when he rejoined the Blues in 2021 for £98m
Lukaku secured a permanent exit in August having been forced to train with Chelsea’s bomb squad during pre-season, an experience that he had also undergone during the previous summer.
At most clubs, being given the No 9 is a source of great pride and responsibility but at Chelsea it has seemed to be a bit of a burden.
Academy product Tammy Abraham had the honour of wearing the No 9 on his back for a short period but it the highest-profile occupant before him was Gonzalo Higuain, who joined the club as one of the most respected strikers in Europe and left with his reputation in tatters.
Fears over the Argentine’s fitness and suitability to the pace of the Premier League proved well-founded after following his Napoli manager Mauricio Sarri to west London. Higuain’s return of five goals in 18 games paints a better picture than his six-month spell at the Bridge actually was, despite an encouraging brace against Huddersfield in just his third game.
