Craig Burley names Chelsea's worst No. 9 in recent history and chooses between Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku 

Choosing between Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, and Romelu Lukaku, former Chelsea star Craig Burley has deemed the Belgian as the Blues’ worst No. 9 in recent history.

Chelsea do not have the best of luck when it comes to No 9s. They have splurged plenty of money on the centre-forwards over the years, but none have managed to provide the ruthlessness the Blues have craved in front of goal.

Thomas Tuchel’s side hoped to break the curse of the No. 9 jersey last season when they re-signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milam for a club-record €113 million fee.

Unfortunately, things did not turn out the way the Londoners had hoped, with Lukaku regularly cutting a frustrating figure in the final third.

To make matters worse, Lukaku will not be there next season to make amends for his lackluster debut campaign, as he has returned to Inter on a season-long loan.

When asked to talk about the recent number 9s of his old club, Burley explained why each of them failed.

On the topic of Lukaku, however, he was rendered speechless, hinting that the 29-year-old was by far the worst no. 9 in his books. Speaking on ESPN Extra Time, he said:

“Fernando Torres' career was on the downward spiral when he came to Chelsea and what a great career it was, Alvaro Morata...Lukaku, Morata wasn't great, every morning Morata woke up he got flagged offside, but Lukaku was just…”

Lukaku took part in 44 games for the west London club in the 2021-22 campaign, recording 15 goals and two assists.

---

Fernando Torres has been Chelsea’s most successful number 9 in recent memory

Although regularly and rightly criticized for his misses, Torres has had to go down as one of the club’s best number 9s in the last 15 years.

Chelsea signed Torres for a British record €58.5 million fee from Liverpool in January 2011. He scored only a single goal for his new employers in 18 appearances across competitions in his debut campaign.

The following season, he scored only six Premier League goals, but played a huge part in taking his team to Champions League glory. For that goal against Barcelona in the semi-final second leg alone, Torres will forever remain in the club’s history.

Before leaving for AC Milan in 2014, Torres made 172 appearances for the Blues, recording 45 goals and 35 assists.

---