Liam Delap has taken the number nine shirt at Chelsea following his £30m arrival from Ipswich Town.It’s an iconic number for the 22-year-old to take on, but one that has a patchy history when it comes to Chelsea centre-forwards. Throughout the Premier League era, several star names have struggled in the number nine at Stamford Bridge. Is Delap the player to break the Chelsea curse?Our new No.9. — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 5, 2025We’ve rated every player to wear the number nine for Chelsea in the Premier League era.Rating every Chelsea number nine of the Premier League eraTony CascarinoTony Cascarino was the first player to wear the nine for Chelsea in the Premier League, following the introduction of squad numbers from the 1993/94 season. The Irishman’s career with the club never truly got going, as injuries impacted his time with the Blues. He netted just four goals that season before departing for Marseille as a free agent.Verdict: Miss (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Mark SteinMark Stein inherited the shirt from his former teammate, having set a Premier League record of seven straight games with a goal the previous season. He netted 11 times in all competitions in 1994/95, but soon fell out of favour as the Blues brought in marquee arrivals. Stein scored 25 goals in 63 games for Chelsea.Verdict: OKGianluca VialliA statement signing, Chelsea signed Champions League-winning captain Gianluca Vialli from Juventus in 1996.The late Italian was an instant favourite, combining hustle with real quality in attack. Vialli scored 40 goals in 78 games for Chelsea and took up a player-manager role just 18 months after his arrival.He won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during a memorable period at Stamford Bridge.Verdict: HitChris SuttonChris Sutton had a Premier League winner’s medal and Golden Boot on his CV by the time he signed for Chelsea in 1999, but it proved to be a torrid time for the former Blackburn forward. Signed in a £10m deal, Sutton scored just one league goal in a sorry single season before joining Celtic in a cut-price transfer.Former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates pulled no punches after his exit, branding the signing of Sutton as a ‘disaster’.“There is no escaping the fact Sutton was a disaster. His attitude wasn’t right towards the end. He wasn’t good for Chelsea,” Bates said.“He became anxious after missing two open goals against Sunderland on his debut. But he’s done well to go to Celtic. It’s an easier league and he showed that by getting a goal early on.”Verdict: MissJimmy Floyd HasselbainkChelsea equalled the Premier League transfer record by signing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had somehow been relegated at Atletico Madrid despite scoring 33 goals in all competitions.The former Leeds United striker returned to England with a bang, winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot in his debut season. It was a second Golden Boot accolade for Hasslebaink after an earlier success at Elland Road.Hasselbaink's hat-trick against Wolves in 2004! #TBT pic.twitter.com/XvzROJQRMg— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 12, 2019 He remains one of just three players to have won the award with multiple clubs. The Dutchman’s thunderous shooting struck fear into goalkeepers, as Hasselbaink hit 87 goals in 177 Chelsea games over four seasons.Verdict: HitMateja KezmanMateja Kezman joined Chelsea in 2004, moving to West London alongside Arjen Robben after the duo had dovetailed to devastating effect at PSV Eindhoven. Dubbed ‘Batman and Robben’, Kezman struggled as his sidekick impressed at Chelsea.He had scored 105 goals in just 122 league games for PSV, winning three Eredivisie Golden Boots, but mustered just four league goals during the 2004/05 season. A goal in the League Cup final win over Liverpool was a rare highlight before he was sold to Atletico Madrid after just 12 months.Verdict: MissHernan CrespoBetter than is often perceived. Hernan Crespo signed for Chelsea as Roman Abramovich splashed the cash in his first summer window. The Argentine had been the world’s most expensive footballer just three years earlier and never quite hit those heights.However, he reached double figures for Premier League goals in each of his Chelsea seasons, sandwiched either side of a loan spell at AC Milan.Verdict: OKKhalid BoulahrouzThe less said about this, the better. Handing the number nine shirt to a sporadically used defender? It’s a crime if ever we’ve seen one.Verdict: MissSteve SidwellAnother bizarre assignment. The midfielder was given the nine shirt after his arrival from Reading as a free agent. Sidwell spent just one season at Chelsea before moving to Aston Villa.Verdict: MissFranco Di SantoChelsea pinned their long-term centre-forward hopes on Franco Di Santo in 2008 but the Argentinian never quite developed as hoped. He failed to score in eight league appearances before being sold to Wigan Athletic.Verdict: Miss (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Fernando TorresLike Crespo, often somewhat unfairly remembered as a flop.Sure, Torres never recaptured the electricity of his Liverpool time at Chelsea and cost a British record £50m in January 2011, but he had his moments. None bigger than a crucial Champions League semi-final goal at Barcelona on route to winning the trophy for the first time. The following season, he scored nine European goals as Chelsea won the Europa League.Torres' goal in the 2013 final @ChelseaFC | #UEL pic.twitter.com/DLMJuwDTTk— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 20, 2025 A record of 45 goals in 172 appearances isn’t elite, but it’s better than often remembered.Verdict: OKRadamel FalcaoHaving watched Radamel Falcao flounder during a loan spell at Manchester United, Chelsea thought they were the right fit to bring back the forward’s best. His time in West London was even worse, scoring just once in 12 games despite commanding massive wages.El Tigre enjoyed a renaissance after returning to Monaco but was more El Kitten during his spell in England.Verdict: MissAlvaro MorataAlvaro Morata actually started his Chelsea career on fire following his £60m arrival from Real Madrid. The Spanish striker reached 10 goals in the Premier League by Boxing Day, but his form soon slowed down. Morata struggled with the criticism he faced in England and was loaned to Atletico Madrid midway through his second season. He scored 24 goals in 75 games for Chelsea.Verdict: MissGonzalo HiguainAnother high-profile loanee who failed to meet the standard. Gonzalo Higuain joined Chelsea on loan from Juventus in January 2019, reuniting with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri. He helped the Blues to the Europa League but scored just five times in a six-month spell.Verdict: MissTammy AbrahamFrank Lampard looked to the academy as the Chelsea boss sought to combat a transfer ban in his debut season. Reece James, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham were all introduced successfully to the side.Abraham scored 18 goals in all competitions to finish as Chelsea’s leading scorer in 2019/20 and was the club’s joint-leading scorer again the following season. He moved on to Roma in a £34m deal after falling out of favour, with a respectable record of 30 goals in 82 games.Verdict: OKRomelu LukakuWhen Romelu Lukaku returned to Chelsea in a £97.5m deal, it appeared the perfect fit. Few forwards in Europe boasted better goal records, while the big Belgian had proven he could score hatfuls in the Premier League.Instead, it was a disaster. He scored just eight times in the league, and alienated the fanbase with a controversial interview pining for former club Inter, before heading back to the San Siro on loan.Verdict: Miss (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Pierre-Emerick AubameyangA short-term solution that didn’t solve much at all. Chelsea brought the ex-Arsenal goal-getter back to the Premier League from Barcelona in a £12m deal in 2022. He scored just three times before leaving for Marseille.Verdict: MissRead – Delap excited to rekindle Cole Palmer connection at ChelseaSee more – Remembering when Eden Hazard ruled the Premier League in 2014/15Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTokThe post Can Delap beat the curse? Rating every Chelsea number nine of the Premier League era first appeared on The Football Faithful.