Aston Villa haven’t exactly been blessed with the most clinical number nines in their Premier League history, as you'll see below via statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.
The most recent number nine was, of course, Wesley, who scored five goals in his first Premier League debut, before injury struck and he ended up out on loan at Internacional.
We can’t predict where the Brazilian would rank in this list if it wasn’t for the injuries, but it's logical to assume he would've at least managed to break into double figures.
Nonetheless, Wesley did perform better than other number nines, however, as you can see below. We've ranked every player to wear the No.9 jersey for Villa in the Premier League based on goals scored...
Stephen Ireland - 0 Premier League goals
Nicklas Helenius - 0 Premier League goals
Stan Collymore - 1 Premier League goal
Scott Sinclair - 3 Premier League goals
Wesley - 5 Premier League goals
Marlon Harewood - 5 Premier League goals
Dwight Yorke - 6 Premier League goals
Darren Bent - 12 Premier League goals
Juan Pablo Ángel - 14 Premier League goals
Savo Milosevic - 28 Premier League goals
Dion Dublin - 37 Premier League goals
Dean Saunders - 38 Premier League goals
We did warn you about the cursed number nine shirt at Villa Park, didn’t we? And the statistics only make the horrid tale a true and damming story. Seven of the 12 players to wear the number in the Premier League for the Midlands club failed to reach double figures for goals.
Even the legendary Dwight Yorke only managed six for Aston Villa while wearing the No.9 shirt. Meanwhile, sitting top of the list is Dean Saunders - the first player to wear the number for Aston Villa in the Premier League. And he did not disappoint, scoring 38 goals.
The only player to get close to Saunders’ tally was Dion Dublin. Now a presenter of Homes Under The Hammer, Dublin put many clubs to the sword throughout his Premier League career. Whilst wearing the number nine at Villa Park, Dublin managed a total of 37 Premier League goals - just one shy of Saunders’ 38.
Whoever does receive the number nine shirt next will be hoping to avoid facing the same fate as those who have stood before them. With any luck, we may eventually see a number nine surpass Saunders’ 38-goal mark, which, for now, remains the highest by those to have worn the famous number at Villa Park.
But perhaps the most immediate question for Villa is whose back will bear the burden next season. Watkins? Ings? Or does Gerrard have a superstar signing up his sleeve?