Loic Remy has passed up the opportunity to take up Chelsea’s ‘cursed’ number nine shirt

The Frenchman, who joined the Blues for £10.5m, has instead opted for no.18, despite Fernando Torres freeing up the classic strikers’ shirt.

Torres departed Chelsea on a two-year loan move to AC Milan last month, after a torrid three-and-a-half years at the club. But the Spaniard isn’t the only player to struggle in the no.9 shirt at the Bridge.

In recent years the shirt has been worn by

Franco Di Santo, Steve Sidwell and even centre-back Khalid Boulahrouz, as well as Hernan Crespo and Mateja Kezman – 

none of whom have gone down in Chelsea folklore. In fact the last no.9 to be a success with the Blues was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who departed a decade ago.