Over the last month or so, Mauricio Pochettino has been able to stop the rot at Chelsea, guiding them to five wins out of seven and into the League Cup Final to boot.
The Pensioners are still only ninth in the Premier League ahead of their clash with Liverpool, and while that is far from ideal for a club of their stature, things are starting to look up.
However, a strike force of Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja – if he isn't sold – just isn't enough to genuinely challenge the best teams in the division.
However, Todd Boehly and Co could be about to address this significant weakness and sign a forward who could potentially end the club's long-running number nine curse.
Chelsea look north to end their striker woes
Earlier this week, Chelsea writer Simon Phillips revealed in his Substack that the Blues have made a late inquiry about Callum Wilson's availability this month.
He revealed that the west Londoners were interested in loaning the former Bournemouth man but that the Magpies were only interested in selling the 31-year-old if he were to leave this month.
While this development isn't ideal for Pochettino's side, the Toon's valuation of £18m would represent great value in today's hyper-inflated market, and with Phillips revealing Wilson himself is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, there is every chance this deal could go ahead.
Callum Wilson could end the Blues' number nine curse
Few curses are more well-known in English football than Chelsea's number nine curse. Over the years, there have been some genuinely great players who have been goal machines elsewhere before signing for the Pensioners, pulling on that number and then seemingly growing two left feet.
Some of the most notable include Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku. The former went from scoring nine league goals in the first half of the 2010/11 season for Liverpool to managing just one in west London after making the switch midway through the season.
Fernando Torres
11 (January Signing)
1
Romelu Lukaku
35
8
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
12
1
Radamel Falcao
8
1
Mateja Kezman
36
4
The Belgian had an even worse time with the shirt, as he scored a whopping 24 Serie A goals in the 2020/21 season before managing just eight a year later for Chelsea and then never playing for the club again.
So profound is this supposed curse that in an interview in the summer of 2022, then-manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that nobody wanted the number following Lukaku's disaster, saying: "It's cursed, it's cursed, people tell me it's cursed. There was not a big demand for No 9. Players sometimes want to change numbers but, surprisingly, nobody wants to touch it."
With all of that, the "incredible" Wilson, as he was described by his manager Eddie Howe, would be forgiven for feeling a bit of trepidation in keeping his number were he to sign.
However, based on his record in the Premier League and how well he coped with moving to the Magpies a few years ago, the England international could be just the man to finally break this insane curse.
In total, the "ruthless" forward, as journalist Chris Waugh described him, has made 215 top-flight appearances, scored 86 goals and provided 23 assists, meaning he has averaged 0.50 goal involvements per match throughout his career, which is a brilliant feat, and something the Blues could use if they are to lift silverware this season and fight for European football.
Appearances
215
Goals
86
Assists
23
Goals per Match
0.40
Wins
74
Losses
89
Draws
52
Ultimately, the curse will always weigh on the minds of the Chelsea faithful whenever a new exciting striker turns up at the club, at least it will until someone can break it, and that someone could well be Wilson.