TUCHY ISSUE

Hex factor’s hampering Blues in striker search says Thomas

THOMAS TUCHEL admits the Chelsea striker curse is in danger of becoming embedded in the club’s psyche.

The Blues are scouring the market to find a hitman to replace £97.5million flop Romelu Lukaku – who is back at Inter Milan on loan after a dreadful 12-month spell at Stamford Bridge.

But the Belgian is merely the latest in a long line of big-money signings unable to fill the role of prolific Chelsea marksman.

Since Didier Drogba left first time around in 2012, Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Timo Werner and Lukaku have all proved duds up front in Chelsea blue.

Quizzed if it is now part of the club’s fabric and mindset to expect the worst in that crucial position – and how he intends to break the cycle – Tuchel delivered a typically honest response.

The German, who is being linked with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Barcelona, said: “That’s a very good question – and I struggle to give a clear answer. But we need to make sure this is by

HARRY PRATT

not a self-fulfilling prophecy that we create for ourselves.

“I was ready to improve the situation with Romelu. I was ready to give it new thoughts, new energy but it wasn’t to be. We had a difficult, disappointing year in this relationship with Romelu.

“We expected more, he expected more and I also expected more of myself. We go again but still, we shouldn’t create our own self-fulfilling prophecy that the next striker will not succeed.

“Of course that’s on me to create an environment and a team that creates enough chances for a striker to finally have the last touch – and score!”

One solution to better striker stats, according to the ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss, would be to put them on penalties.

A serious suggestion, yet one which he accepts would be a tad stupid given the fine record of Chelsea’s regular taker Jorginho.

Ahead of today’s trip to Leeds, Tuchel added: “Maybe we need to take Jorginho’s penalties away. For strikers, this sometimes can increase their numbers dramatically if you give them eight, nine, 10 penalties.

“But who would take a penalty from Jorginho? We want to win in the end.

“He’s a fantastically good penalty taker.”

As deadline day nears,

Chelsea’s options look increasingly slim which is why Tuchel’s one-time Borussia Dortmund forward Aubameyang, 33, is being touted as a surprising short-term solution.

That, however, is not a sign the world’s very best netbusters are scared of the challenge to break the No.9 hoodoo at Chelsea. Tuchel dismissed that suggestion completely, saying: “No, no.

“I think strikers are a very special breed, they’re very sensitive but also very self-confident.

“Any striker would love to be the guy to break the habit of struggling. This is what I believe

and feel.”