Ranking All of Chelsea's Number 9's in the Premier League Era
Tammy Abraham has been given the number nine jersey at Chelsea; sounds good, right?
However, looking back at the roll call of the shirt's previous wearers, like the Spinal Tap drummer or Hogwarts defence agains the dark arts teacher, is Abraham doomed from the start?
Let's look back, from best to worst, at all 13 of the players to have donned the number nine at Chelsea in the Premier League. Good luck Tammy!
14. Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-2007)
All but the nerdiest of football fans can be forgiven for not remembering this one.
Like a late arrival at a Sunday league match, the £8.5m signing from Hamburg was handed the number nine shirt at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho, despite being very much not a striker, due to a lack of available shirt options left.
The centre back started his Blues career unremarkably, but lost his place in the side after a horror show of a performance against Tottenham at White Hart Lane that all but ended his Chelsea career.
The lack of faith from his manager was epitomised by Mourinho's preference to play Michael Essien alongside John Terry in central defence, instead of the Dutchman. He lasted just one season and 20 matches in blue.
13. Radamel Falcao (2015-2016)
Following his loan move from Monaco in 2015, Chelsea fans were left wondering as to which Radamel Falcao would turn up in west London.
El Tigre (the Tiger) of France, Portugal, Spain and Argentine was a veritable goal machine. However, the Falcao who spent the season on loan at Manchester United the season prior was more of a scared kitten.
Chelsea got the latter, as a return of one goal in 12 appearances across all competitions meant his solitary season in London was less than productive.
He went back to Monaco in 2017, and (infuriatingly for Chelsea and United fans) returned to his old prolific ways.
12. Franco Di Santo (2008-2009)
The Argentine arrived in west London from Audax Italiano in Chile with great promise at the age of 19. However, his ill-fated time at Chelsea yielded no goals.
To be fair, the youngster made the majority of his 16 appearances for Chelsea from the bench, but rarely made the case for a start.
He did, however, win the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013, albeit as an unused sub, while he now plays for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
11. Chris Sutton (1999-2000)
Another one season not-so-wonderous, Chris Sutton had unquestionable talent, winning the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and scoring just shy of 200 goals throughout his career.
That said, his move to Chelsea in 1999 from Blackburn proved to be a small stain on an illustrious career, as he never hit the heights at Stamford Bridge. In total, he managed three goals across 39 matches in all competitions, and never justified his £10m price tag.
He did prove his ability wasn't lost after moving to Celtic the year after though, earning himself legendary status with the Parkhead faithful.
10. Mateja Kezman (2004-2005)
After a, quite frankly, unstoppable time in the Eredivisie with PSV, netting a monumental 105 goals in 122 league games, Chelsea snapped up one of Europe's hottest strikers for a meagre £5m in 2004.
Chelsea fans will remember him for being part of the title-winning side that season, yet his four goals were hardly the key component in their record-breaking season.
He earned a move to Turkey with Fenerbahce after the season's conclusion, before globe-trotting around Europe and Asia, eventually retiring in 2012.
9. Steve Sidwell (2007-2008)
Another unorthodox number nine at Chelsea was now-pundit Steve Sidwell, a combative midfielder who bizarrely was offered the iconic shirt.
At this point it was commonplace for Chelsea number nines to only last a season, and Sidwell didn't buck the trend.
He had an outstanding season with Reading as they defied the odds to comfortably secure Premier League football in their debut campaign in the top flight. Thus, Chelsea had no qualms snapping the player up on a free transfer.
He featured 25 times for the Blues, bagging a solitary goal, before joining Aston Villa in search of greater first team opportunities.
8. Gonzalo Higuain (2019)
Is that a belly I see before me?
Gonzalo Higuain will arguably be more fondly remembered by the delicatessen's of King's Road (if there are any...) than Chelsea football fans.
He arrived in January 2019 on loan, with Chelsea having an option to sign the forward at the end of the season, and left in June 2019 having scored five goals (mainly against Huddersfield).
So yeah, not the greatest.
7. Fernando Torres (2011-2015)
Let's not beat around the bush here, Fernando Torres was rubbish at Chelsea. He was much-maligned during his time in west London, but in fairness, it's somewhat justified.
The whopping £50m Chelsea forked out to bring him from Liverpool was never even close to be recouped. It took him 903 minutes from his debut to bag his first Blues goal, before proceeding to go on a 23-match scoreless run in the 2011/12 season. For a player regarded, in his prime, as one of the Premier League's best ever strikers, his total of 20 goals in 110 top flight matches is an unfortunate addition to his CV.
Mind you, Chelsea fans will never forget that goal against Barcelona.
After a loan stint with Milan and a return to former club Atletico Madrid, he's was one of the newer members of the J League, plying his trade with Sagan Tosu, befor. He scored more goals than other contributors on this list, but none of them cost £50m.
6. Tony Cascarino (1992-1994)
Tony Cascarino holds the honour of being the first Chelsea player to don the number nine jersey in the Premier League, having signed for the club in January 1992 in time for the division's inaugural campaign.
It wasn't the most fruitful of spells, however, as he featured just nine times in the league that year, netting twice. Surprisingly though, he retained the shirt for the following season, doubling his previous tally with four goals - albeit in significantly more matches.
Needless to say he wasn't kept on for a third season, swapping London for the south coast of France with Marseille.
5. Alvaro Morata (2017-2018)
Big things were expected from Chelsea's acquisition of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid, especially since they parted with no less than £60m for the Spaniard.
It seemed the fee was justified, notching eight goals and four assists in his first 11 Premier League games for the club. Unfortunately since, as any football fan will tell you, it hasn't quite gone to plan for the 26-year-old.
The 'curse' of the nine appears to have dealt it's cruel hand once again for the struggling forward, who has come under constant criticism for his lack of potency for Chelsea, mustering just 24 goals in 72 appearances for the Blues, with his departure now all but assured.
The fact he relinquished the number nine shirt after his first season might tell the story itself, but we still include his time at Chelsea as a whole.
4. Hernan Crespo (2003-2006)
Following a seven-year spell as one of the Italian league's most fearsome forwards, Hernan Crespo made the move to England with Chelsea in 2003 for a reported fee of £16.8m, his debut season ending with more than respectable 10 goals in 19 top flight outings.
The 2004/05 season saw the arrival of Didier Drogba, placing Crespo down the pecking order, as he was shipped out on loan at Milan for the whole campaign under new boss Jose Mourinho. His subsequent recall after one season prompted a further ten league goals before, once again, moving back to Italy on loan.
He showcased glimpses of real talent at Chelsea, with many Blues' supporters often left to wonder how it could have gone if he was given the necessary time to shine at Stamford Bridge.
3. Mark Stein (1993-1998)
A name that may not be familiar with many outside the Chelsea faithful, Mark Stein was a hit for Chelsea following his £1.5m move from Stoke City in 1993.
He held the record for the most goals scored in consecutive Premier League matches with seven in his debut season - before being overtaken by Ruud van Nilstelrooy and subsequently Jamie Vardy - and finished with 14 goals in total for the Blues that campaign.
His first two seasons wielded 25 goals, but the additions of Mark Hughes, Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola saw his playing time limited, going on loan in his final three seasons at Stamford Bridge.
He now works as a physiotherapist for Championship side Rotherham United.
2. Gianluca Vialli (1996-1999)
For some of the players on this list, they arrived with big potential and as prolific scorers, but often without the medals to show for it.
Champions League winner Gianluca Vialli won everything there was to win during his time in Italy and joined the Blues with high expectations. He scored 40 goals for across three seasons at Stamford Bridge, winning the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup Winner's Cup.
While still playing for Chelsea he took over as player-manager in February 1998, before retiring at the end of the season. He added to his already impressive trophy haul with a further FA Cup and League Cup in charge at Stamford Bridge, with the fan favourite being lauded as a legend among supporters in west London.
1. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (2000-2004)
The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner pips the rest of the pack as Chelsea's greatest top flight number nine, after four goal-heavy seasons at Stamford Bridge.
The Dutchman joined from Ateltico Madrid in for £15m in 2000 and hit the ground running (almost as hard as he could hit a football). An excellent return of 23 Premier League goals in his first two seasons were followed by a less spectacular 11 in his third, but his fruitful partnership with Eidur Gudjohnsen will remain as one of Chelsea's best.
His final season culminated in 13 goals, as the striker forever cemented himself a Blues' favourite before his eventual switch to Middlesborough in 2004.