Chelsea drops 'cursed' No 9 shirt 

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Chelsea’s superstitious forwards do not want to touch the No 9 shirt after becoming convinced it is cursed.

Chelsea, who start their Premier League season against Everton Saturday, have left the No 9 free after its last wearer, Romelu Lukaku, returned to Inter Milan on loan following a disappointing season back at Stamford Bridge.

Club-record signing Lukaku has joined a long list of high-profile strikers, including Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain and Radamel Falcao, who failed to justify their reputations and transfer fees in the No 9 shirt.

Chelsea are still in the market for a new forward before the transfer window shuts and are interested in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but head coach Tuchel confirmed the No 9 had not been deliberately left open for a potential arrival.

 “It’s cursed, people tell me it’s cursed,” said Tuchel, who would not be drawn on Aubameyang. “It’s not the case that we leave it open for tactical reasons, for some players in the pipeline that come in and naturally take it.

“There was not a big demand for No 9, when players sometimes want to change numbers. But, surprisingly, nobody wants to touch it.

“Everybody who has been at the club longer than me tells me ‘Ah, you know, like he had the nine and he did not score and he had the nine and did also not score’. So, now we have a moment where nobody wants to touch the No 9.”