Romelu Lukaku is the latest player to be accused of cursing Chelsea's number nine shirt. - AGENCY photo
LONDON: Thomas Tuchel has admitted Chelsea's number nine shirt is cursed and no player wants to touch it.
The Blues begin their Premier League campaign against Everton tonight without a player wearing the number nine shirt normally worn by the main striker. Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan at Inter Milan this season, was the latest player to pull on the shirt and failed to make the mark as he scored just eight goals in the Premier League last season.
During Roman Abramovich's 19-year tenure as owner of Stamford Bridge, the Blues signed seven high-profile strikers to wear the number nine - all unremarkable. Lukaku, Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao, Hernan Crespo and Mateja Kezman arrived at Stamford Bridge with impressive reputations but have fallen victim to the curse of the shirt - the German manager believes. "It's cursed, they told me it's cursed.
We don't leave it open for tactical reasons, so the players come and wear it. "Nobody wants to wear it, mostly there are players who want to change their jersey number. But nobody wants to touch it. "Those who have been at the club for a long time say to me: 'He wears the number nine and doesn't score, he also wears the number nine and doesn't score'.
"I believe in superstitions, I understand why many players don't dare to reach for it and choose a different number," said Tuchel. Former Manchester City player Raheem Sterling, who replaced Lukaku, chose to wear the number 17 shirt. - AGENTURY
