Chelsea made plenty of headlines in the summer as they brought in not one but two marquee strikers in a bid to add some much-needed firepower to their frontline. Out went the injury-riddled Christopher Nkunku and the erratic Nicholas Jackson, and in came Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. The signings were meant to jolt the Blues into life in the Premier League title race, but unfortunately for West London’s finest, online sportsbooks remain unconvinced.
The latest odds from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently list Enzo Maresca’s side as a 25/1 outsider, well behind 1/2 favourites and current table toppers Arsenal. With Chelsea already in third place and only six points behind the Gunners, perhaps those lengthy odds could represent some value to punters.
But when it comes to the two new strikers, the attacking duo has enjoyed differing fortunes throughout their first few months at the Bridge. Joao Pedro immediately hit the ground running, netting crucial goals in the FIFA Club World Cup – including one in the final against Paris Saint-Germain – to help the Blues surprisingly claim the crown. Delap, meanwhile, is yet to get up and running.
OMG JOÃO PEDRO! +240 looking pretty good in the 1st half 👀
CHELSEA UP 3-0! #FIFAClubWorldCup
pic.twitter.com/oRPGcflpQq— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) July 13, 2025
Delap’s Slow Start to Life in Blue
Liam Delap arrived at the Bridge to much fanfare. Chelsea managed to beat both Manchester United and Newcastle to the powerful striker’s signature, handing Blues supporters plenty of bragging rights at the expense of their Premier League rivals. And considering the Englishman’s form in a poor Ipswich Town side last season, there were plenty of reasons to be excited.
Delap hit 12 league goals for the Tractor Boys last season, despite their relegation to the second tier. Upon dropping back to the championship, a £30m relegation release clause was activated in his contract. Chelsea were only too happy to trigger that clause and bring the 23-year-old to London, but after a slow start, manager Maresca could well be regretting his decision.
The new signing hasn’t scored a goal or provided an assist throughout his first three months with his new club. In fact, he has been limited to just six appearances due to a hamstring injury. Upon his return, Delap picked up two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes in an EFL Cup tie against Wolves, resulting in a red card and a suspension. He returned to action on November 8th, also against Wolves, and despite Chelsea’s 3-0 victory, the striker was unable to get his name on the scoresheet.
Enzo Maresca says Liam Delap’s red card was “very stupid” 🔴 pic.twitter.com/lru86QsxHf
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 30, 2025
Considering the number nine adorning the back of his shirt, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.
Chelsea’s Number Nine Curse
Over the years, a slew of huge names have all worn Chelsea’s number nine. Unfortunately, none of them has managed to make any kind of impact at all. The last striker to shine wearing the number was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with the Dutchman netting 87 goals in 177 appearances across four seasons at the start of the new millennium. Since then, many have tried to follow in his footsteps, and all of them have failed.
The first of them was Mateja Kežman, but the Serbian was sent packing after managing just four goals in his first and only season. Superstar Hernan Crespo then headed to the Bridge from Inter Milan, but he too struggled to impress across his two seasons with the club.
Noticing the jinx, manager Jose Mourinho then gave the number nine shirt, normally reserved for a striker, to defender Khalid Bhoularouz and then Steve Sidwell, aiming to break the dreaded curse once and for all. But by the time the shirt returned to a supposed goalscorer, namely the unheralded Franco Di Santo, the hoodoo remained as the Argentinian didn’t manage a single goal in 16 appearances.
Fernando Torres was the next in line, but the formerly prolific Spaniard suddenly became goal-shy in Chelsea colours. Since then, superstars such as Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, and Romelu Lukaku have all attempted to shine wearing number nine, but each of them failed spectacularly. Academy product Tammy Abraham had a brief spell of success wearing the fabled number, netting 15 goals in the 2019/20 season, but that is as good as it has gotten.
Chelsea’s Striking Woes
Liam Delap and Joao Pedro were meant to finally bring success to a Chelsea strike force that has been goal-shy for seemingly decades. Over the years, the Blues have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on new strikers, but none of them have ever truly been able to thrive at the Bridge. But it wasn’t always this way.
Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, Didier Drogba became one of the planet’s most feared strikers during his time with Chelsea. The Ivorian powerhouse netted 164 goals in 381 games for the Blues, winning four Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. Spanish menace Diego Costa also shone for the club, scoring 59 times in 120 games and also winning a league title. Neither of them wore nine, a good omen for Joao Pedro, a distinctly bad one for Liam Delap.