Chelsea's Number 9 Curse Continues - Former Player Claims That Blues Attack is Far From Complete

Glen Johnson Claims Chelsea 'Haven't Replaced' Former Star Attacker

It has been a point of endless discussion for over a decade, but once again, we have come full circle and find ourselves back where we started. Why can’t Chelsea get their hands on a prolific striker or, more specifically, a number 9?

Their most recent acquisition in this department is Liam Delap, who, despite being heralded as England’s potential successor to Harry Kane, has had a rough start to life in West London - he suffered a hamstring tear in his third game for the club that kept him sidelined for two months, and now he is back in the physio room once again, this time with a knock to the shoulder.

In that time, Delap has accumulated just one competitive goal (a tap-in against Barcelona), and likely averages more shoulder barges per 90 than shots on target - labelling it an underwhelming start would be generous; catastrophically poor seems more apt.

William Gallas on Liam Delap:

🗣️ "I think he has to start taking more risks. He has to try to be the same player he was at Ipswich, where he scored goals. He looked like he was enjoying his football.

I know when you move to another club, especially a big club, you get more… pic.twitter.com/zW1T3w66go

— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) December 11, 2025

But we aren’t surprised; Chelsea have had well-publicised difficulty replacing Didier Drogba since he left the club in 2012, only succeeding when they brought him back in 2015, and with the signing of Diego Costa, who netted 59 times in three seasons for the Blues, propelling them to two Premier League titles in that time.

The closest they have come to finding a serious successor was in Nicolas Jackson, but in a bid to revamp their attack, combined with Jackson’s discipline issues, the forward was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, where he has scored five times in 17 games.

So, between Delap, Costa and Jackson, why do Chelsea keep getting it wrong up top, and has their current frontline got the potential to come good?

Was Jackson the Answer?

As a Chelsea fan, I must say that the treatment Jackson received throughout the transfer window was harsh. The Blues were linked with both Viktor Gyokeres and Nick Woltemade (both of whom were poached by other Prem clubs), and on both occasions, Jackson was slandered with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of comments on social media explaining why he was a far inferior player to both.

It’s okay to admit we didn’t upgrade on Nicolas Jackson pic.twitter.com/ciEoQE6CJq

— Just Chelsea (@Just_chelseafc) December 6, 2025

It didn’t help that at the time, he had been shown two straight red cards in four competitive games, making him a much-maligned figure within the Chelsea fanbase at the time. But historical performances should trump recency bias every time, and on this occasion, fans allowed their short-term views to eclipse both Jackson’s historical performances and the potential of a long-term future with him as their starting marksman.

For instance, it was largely forgotten that he scored the vital goal to give Chelsea the lead in the Conference League final, a finish which heavily shifted momentum in his side's favour and allowed them to waltz to a 4-1 victory, alongside the small matter of securing the club's first silverware under Enzo Maresca.

It was also forgotten that his 27th-minute goal against Everton in April secured his side a much-needed 1-0 win, without which they would not have qualified for this season’s Champions League. Albeit somewhat frustrating at times, whether it be down to his discipline or wasteful finishing, Jackson was hit with a heavy dose of recency bias, a dose which saw him shown the door, at least on a temporary basis, for the season.

Chelsea made a huge mistake in letting Nicolas Jackson go. pic.twitter.com/uoTBwvMeXq

— EricRN (@nnamanieric0) December 11, 2025

Former Chelsea and Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson certainly agrees. Talking to BetWright, he believes that following Jackson’s summer departure, the Blues failed to adequately replace him.

“I don’t think Chelsea made a mistake by letting Jackson leave, but rather in how they replaced him. Liam Delap doesn’t look like he’s going to be that striker who can score loads of goals yet, while there are also issues with his fitness recently.”

I know we have already discussed Delap, but he deserves another mention - brought for £35 million after a stellar season with a relegated Ipswich team, the son of long-throw legend Rory Delap was expected to thrive in a team that makes bucketloads of high-quality chances.

However, between his injury lay-offs and a distinct lack of service in his appearances so far, it appears that, like so many before him, Delap is struggling to make the number nine shirt his own.

How Incomplete is Chelsea’s Frontline?

However, the Blue’s striking issues cannot be placed solely on Delap - his fellow attackers are experiencing similar struggles. Joao Pedro, who got his Chelsea career off to a fantastic start at the Club World Cup, has scored just five goals in 19 appearances since the tournament, where he managed three in three.

Though clearly not an out-and-out number nine, reflected by the 20 he wears on his back, Pedro thrives when playing behind the striker - a shadow striker, if you will. However, there are two problems with this being his primary role.

I need this Joao Pedro back pic.twitter.com/Up79eztnwF

— SIR CHUCHO 🎖️ (@ChuchoMaine) December 3, 2025

Firstly, it is Cole Palmer’s favourite position, and Maresca is not simply going to drop Chelsea’s best player for a summer signing that is yet to truly make a mark. Secondly, thanks to Delap's struggles for fitness, Pedro has had to make do as a makeshift centre forward. This means that despite Palmer’s injury, from which he has only recently returned, Pedro was not able to fill in for him in his favoured position, instead having to fill the gap up top where is quite clearly less comfortable.

Marc Guiu is the only other centre-forward Chelsea currently have in their ranks, and while the 19-year-old Spaniard boasts bags of energy, a good attitude and more than a little physicality, he is still too raw and underdeveloped to play the role of full-on back, instead limited to cameos from the bench since being recalled from his loan move at Sunderland.

Marc Guiu might actually be better than Liam Delap. pic.twitter.com/2OKuYdd1dY

— Ta🧢 (@Tiamcfc) November 24, 2025

It is clear that while Nicolas Jackson’s absence hasn’t hurt the team, a lack of replacement signings have - it speaks volumes that winger Pedro Neto is the club’s top scorer this season, matching Joao Pedro’s eight-goal tally (including CWC goals), while the Portuguese national also boasts the most Premier League goals of any Blue’s player (5).

Another Chapter in The Number 9 Story?

With Delap by far the biggest disappointment out of all of Chelsea's many summer signings, his form once again raises the issue of why players just cannot nail down the number 9 shirt at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba never wore the number nine shirt for Chelsea (perhaps the reason he became such a success), but subsequent number nines always came to the club looking to emulate him, with Fernando Torres being the first. Acquired in January 2011, Torres arrived while Drogba was still at the club. El Nino remained two seasons after he left and rarely showed that he was capable of leading the line. After 172 appearances and just 45 goals, he was eventually shipped off back to his home club, Atletico Madrid.

"TO SEND CHELSEA TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, FERNANDO TORRES HAS DONE IT!"

Happy birthday, @Torres 🎉pic.twitter.com/RMWWVYP0Y6

— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) March 20, 2020

The next player that attempted to take up the mantle was Radamel Falcao. One of the best strikers in Europe for a time with Porto and Monaco, the Colombian legend had a torrid time in West London in what was one of the club's worst seasons ever. Making 12 appearances and scoring a measly one goal, Chelsea fans were thankful that the signing of Falcao was just a loan move - he provided no value whatsoever and was part of a Chelsea side that finished 10th while defending the Premier League title, one of the worst defences in history.

Alvaro Morata came next, along with a £58 million price tag. Surely, he would be the man to break the curse? Emphatically not - despite a fast start in blue, Morata was quickly shown to be an offside merchant who only presented a vague goal threat when given an aerial opportunity and, after 24 goals in 75 games, was quickly moved on.

Gonzalo Higuain came next, on a six-month loan deal from Juventus, but netting just five times in that spell, the Blues sensibly decided that acquiring the Argentine permanently was not on the cards.

Who remembers Higuain played for Chelsea fc? pic.twitter.com/rBaDwqrtQF

— Teddy (@Tedds_LIG) October 11, 2025

Tammy Abraham arguably came closest to breaking the curse - the Cobham academy graduate had a magnificent first season as Frank Lampard was forced to call on youth prospects thanks to a transfer embargo, scoring 15 goals as his side clawed their way to a valiant fourth place, far overachieving pre-season expectations. However, his form slowed the next season, and he was sold to Roma - a real case of what could have been had he stayed.

Then came Romelu Lukaku, arguably the definition of the Chelsea number nine curse. Signed for nigh on £100 million, the Belgian scored just eight goals for the club, and almost immediately alienated them following an interview in which he said he missed his former club, Inter Milan. It’s fair to say he became a pretty unpopular figure after that, and his £24 million sale to Napoli this past summer was met with great celebration, despite the significant money the club failed to recoup on the deal.

Lukaku’s last Chelsea goal before his infamous Sky Italy interview. pic.twitter.com/0KrZcmXei7

— Archives (@CFCRetro) October 30, 2024

Finally, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took the number nine shirt for just one season. He netted just three goals, looked a shadow of his former self, and would later say that it was the biggest mistake of his career to go to Chelsea.

So there you have it - Chelsea’s number nine curse is a long-drawn-out saga that makes for excruciating reading for any Chelsea fan. When Liam Delap arrived this summer, things looked so promising - a young striker with a point to prove and explosive power - he was the natural heir to Didier Drogba.

But in football, expectations rarely meet reality, and now out with a shoulder injury, it is impossible to tell when, if ever, Delap will come good. One thing is certain - the Blues need to sort out their attack, as their depth options simply aren’t good enough to compete with the top sides right now. Maybe they should burn the number nine shirt alongside bring in a new striker …