Liam Delap STRIPPED of No9 shirt and handed goalkeeper’s old number in brutal snub

CHELSEA have revealed their shirt numbers for the 2026/27 season. And the announcement has confirmed Liam Delap has been stripped of the No9 shirt. Liam Delap has been stripped of the Chelsea No9 shirt Credit: Getty Joao Pedro has been handed the cursed No9 after an impressive season last time out Credit: Alamy Delap signed for the Blues from Ipswich in a £30million deal last summer. However, the 23-year-old struggled with the step up and managed just three goals following his arrival before the Club World Cup. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Dream Team is back, free, and there’s £100,000 up for grabs! His three goals from 47 games across all competitions for Chelsea left a disappointing feeling following the season, made worse by the club’s general struggles under Enzo Maresca and then Liam Rosenior. Team-mate Joao Pedro, another player signed in time for their winning campaign at last summer’s Club World Cup, fared far better as Chelsea‘s main source of goals. The Brazilian scored 23 goals in 53 games in all comps following his move from Brighton worth up to £60m. Pedro, 24, has therefore been rewarded for his strong season by being handed the No9 shirt for the Stamford Bridge outfit, with his former No20 not being handed out to another player yet. Meanwhile, with Delap being booted off the number, club chiefs have handed him the No12 shirt worn by goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen last season. Fans will be hoping Pedro will be able to finally break the curse of the No9 shirt. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Delap was the latest star to be weighed down by the burden of the No9. Over the last 23 years or so Chelsea have splashed out around half a billion on new strikers in order to replace Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The likes of Hernan Crespo, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all failed to match expectations while wearing the shirt. Chelsea start their season with a trip down the road to Fulham for Xabi Alonso‘s first competitive game in charge of the club. Comment now