Chelsea’s Liam Delap unfazed by No. 9 shirt: ‘Just a number’
Liam Delap has shrugged off claims that the Chelsea No. 9 shirt is “cursed” and insisted he is relishing the competition with Nicolas Jackson to lead the line.
The 22-year-old is set to make his second start for Chelsea after completing a £30million ($40.4m) move from Ipswich Town in Tuesday’s final Club World Cup Group D match against Esperance de Tunis.
Delap took the iconic shirt number which many high-profile players have struggled with in recent years including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Álvaro Morata and Fernando Torres.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel claimed in August 2022 that the players discussed a possible curse, saying “we now we have a moment where nobody wants to touch the No. 9 [shirt].”
Asked whether he was superstitious or believed in such curses, Delap said: “No, I’m not that type of person. It’s something that people speculate about but it doesn’t mean anything to me.
“It’s something that’s related to strikers so I chose it. At the end of the day it’s a number on the back of your shirt. To me it doesn’t really mean a lot, it’s just a number. Number 9 has always been related to strikers so it’s something that I like but there’s no pressure.”
Delap is set to start in Philadelphia — with Chelsea needing to avoid defeat to progress to the round of 16 and set up a potential meeting with Bayern Munich — after Jackson was sent off just four minutes into a substitute’s appearance during Friday’s defeat to Flamengo.
“With the size of the club there’s always going to be competition and I think players thrive off that competition,” he said of his rivalry with Jackson. “You’re going to work that little bit harder and try and compete. It’s Chelsea, it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be competitive and that’s what you relish.”
Delap was booked 13 times in all competitions last season — and was cautioned against Flamengo — but insisted he can control his aggressive streak.
“I’ve always had that same edge as a kid and I’m not going to change the way my mindset is,” Delap said. “You’ve just got to make sure you’re on the right side of the edge. I love those battles. I always have since I was a kid. I really love the aggressive side of it and the competitive nature of the squad.
“It’s got to be controlled at times but it’s my game ultimately and I enjoy it. It’s obviously my first season playing in the Prem [Premier league] and playing with VAR. It’s something I’m going to have to get used to and work around to try and get less yellow cards. But it’s not something I’m worried about now. I can control my emotions when I need to.”