Chelsea's infamous no.9 curse is one which arguably heralds back 19 years, across 11 different forwards and 15 permanent managers. No matter who the club buys, they cannot seem to shake the inevitable failure that awaits them in west London.
Many can argue about the definition of success but few have hit the levels set by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and even then he only had two truly top seasons. Hitting 23 league goals in both the 2000/01 and 2001/02 campaigns were suggestive of a true star set to be born, yet he would depart in 2004, kickstarting nearly two decades of failure.
High-profile and consistent goalscorers like Hernan Crespo (25 goals), Gonzalo Higuain (five goals) and Radamel Falcao (one goal) all failed to hit the mark, whilst others like Fernando Torres suffered key injuries that meant they would never be the same.
Bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge even proved to be a failure, having unloaded £97.5m to tempt him there only to send him back out on loan the season following.
It could be argued that the only one who has threatened to shatter this hoodoo is Tammy Abraham, who was forced out the door to accommodate higher-profile names.
Perhaps, in an effort to finally end this miserable cycle, their only choice is to bring back the 25-year-old to prove himself worthy, under the guidance of the incoming Mauricio Pochettino.
How has Tammy Abraham played this season?
A potential return to the Blues has recently been touted after he revealed conversations with his former teammate Reece James whilst speaking to the Italian media this week. He noted: "I still talk to a lot of Chelsea players, James always tells me to come back… We grew up together as a group and have known each other for years."
This came months after transfer guru Fabrizio Romano had revealed more quotes, sparking further uncertainty regarding a future that may well end up back in his first club. After all, the €80m (£69m) buy-back clause that lingers is suggestive that his return is almost expected at some stage.
Given how his game has developed in Italy under former Blues boss Jose Mourunho, and the maturing that the young forward has endured in the capital, it could see him take English football by storm after what was an admirable first season in the top flight.
As part of Frank Lampard's youthful outfit, the 25-year-old hit 15 league goals and assisted a further six. That is a tally that has only been surpassed once across their last seven seasons, with Eden Hazard the only man to score more in a league campaign across that period.
At the time, former professional footballer and coach Stephen Elliot even saw fit to brand him a "goal machine". What Chelsea wouldn't do for one of them now, given their tally of 36 goals is the joint-fourth-lowest in the division.
That alone should speak volumes for his pedigree, without even mentioning his form of last season.
In a debut year in a new country, the 6 foot 3 finisher scored 27 goals in all competitions for a side that claimed a European title and finished sixth. Abraham would admit that Mourinho's tutelage had turned him into a "monster".
With his development complete and a warm welcome home to Stamford Bridge awaiting, perhaps Pochettino, who has a history of helping strikers explode, could end this 19-year curse with another English forward.
Before the Argentine arrived at Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Kane had scored just three league goals the season prior. 31 goals came in his first year across all competitions, and the England captain has not looked back since.
Chelsea are craving a forward with this kind of killer consistency, and there is no reason why Abraham cannot be that man.