"I would take the No. 9 shirt" - Newcastle United striker says he would 'thrive' wearing dreaded jersey number at Chelsea 

Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has stated that he would happily take the dreaded No. 9 shirt at Chelsea if he ever moved to Stamford Bridge.

Several world-class strikers, donning the No. 9 shirt, have flopped at Chelsea, with many labeling the jersey number "cursed".

The likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Torres, and Romelu Lukaku have all struggled for goals after being assigned the No. 9 shirt by the west London club.

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Wednesday, September 7, himself admitted that nobody at the club wants to touch the dreaded number.

Wilson, however, insisted that he wouldn't shy away from taking the No.9 shirt if he ever joined Chelsea. He claimed that he would be motivated to prove that there is no such thing as a cursed jersey number.

Wilson told Footballer’s Football Podcast, as quoted by HITC Sport:

“Yeah, that motivates me. If I was to go to Chelsea, I would take the No. 9 shirt just to show that it’s not giving bad luck out and stuff like that. So yeah, that motivates me to be honest. I would never shy away from any number.

"I have No. 9 so it’s hard to say, but I had 13, but if it was only like 27, 28 or 29 available I might have to take someone’s shirt – I’d never do that.”

Wilson, who dons the No. 9 shirt for the Magpies, feels the cursed number theory is a mere superstition. He added:

“Ultimately players perform differently with different things like that. I’d thrive in it but someone else it might swallow them up a bit. It’s for the weak-minded stuff like that you say superstitions, but I think superstitions are a bit of a mental weakness to be honest.”

Summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the current owner of the No. 9 shirt at Chelsea.

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Callum Wilson has been subject to interest from Chelsea in the past

Wilson is a fine example of a player working his way through the lower leagues before establishing himself in the Premier League.

The former Coventry City striker has proven himself to be a reliable outlet for goals in the English top flight for Bournemouth and Newcastle United.

Wilson was even on Chelsea's radar while he was at Bournemouth, as per the Guardian.

The move never materialized and Wilson joined Newcastle United in 2020 following the Cherries' relegation from the Premier League.

The Englishman, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury, has scored two goals in three Premier League appearances this season.