Olivier Giroud has back new Chelsea signing Liam Delap to overcome the supposed cure of the No.9 shirt.
The new arrival from Ipswich is set to make his debut at the upcoming Club World Cup fresh from signing a six-year deal following his £30million move from Portman Road.
Delap will don the No.9 shirt which has been vacant since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure from the club following his disastrous spell in west London.
The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao and Gonzalo Higuain, to name but a few, have struggled to cope with burden of expectation during their ill-fated Stamford Bridge careers, but Delap, it is felt, is made of sterner stuff.
Giroud did not wear the number nine during his time at Stamford Bridge but did so at AC Milan, where he was similarly warned about a “curse” before accepting the shirt.
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Chelsea’s Premier League No.9s
Pierre-Emererick Aubameyang
Romelu Lukaku
Tammy Abraham
Gonzalo Higuain
Alvaro Morata
Radamel Falcao
Fernando Torres
Franco Di Santo
Hernan Cresop
Mateja Kezman
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Chris Sutton
Gianluca Vialli
Asked about the struggles that Chelsea’s strikers have had, the Frenchman said: ‘When I signed for Milan, Paolo Maldini told me on the first Zoom I had with him, ‘Are you sure about No.9? It’s kind of cursed’.
‘I said it’s not about the number I have on my back which will make me be good and score goals. No, I want the nine. And then I’ve showed him there was no curse, I was doing well.
‘It’s not about the number nine, it’s about the position on the field and being a striker is very, very demanding. You can be under the spotlight when things go really well, but you are the first also on the front line when you are not scoring goals.
Chelsea’s Club World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Gabriel Slonina.
Defenders: Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Mamadou Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Aaron Anselmino, Josh Acheampong.
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia.
Forwards: Pedro Neto, Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu.
Chelsea’s Club World Cup Fixtures
Chelsea vs LAFC – Monday June 16, kick-off 8pm UK time
Flamengo vs Chelsea – Friday June 20, kick-off 7pm UK time
ES Tunis vs Chelsea – Wednesday June 25, kick-off 2am UK time
‘You have to show some character and strength mentality wise. You need to be strong in your head, even in the tough moments stay confident and keep working hard.
‘There’s a lot of pressure when you play striker but for me it’s the best in football. There’s up and downs, you need to be ready for that.’
‘I think he’s very talented,’ when asked spcifically for his impressions of Delap.
‘The boys will help him to settle will, I think he will be fine.’