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Will Gonzalo Higuain help solve Chelsea's longstanding striker and locker room issues?

For all of Chelsea’s success in the 21st century, there hasn’t really been consistent production up top.

On Wednesday, the Blues did something about it, completing a loan deal for 31-year-old Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, and on brass tacks it seems like a sensible move. Higuain has been great at pretty much every stop, a CV that includes Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus and AC Milan on loan this season.

While he struggled to find his place in Milan, his most prolific strike rate came while with Napoli, where he scored 91 goals in 146 matches. Higuain’s 36 goals in the 2015-16 season are a Serie A record that could stand awhile, and his manager during that time was Maurizio Sarri, who now coaches Chelsea and is hoping he can unlock Higuain’s potential anew.

At his best, Higuain possesses good shooting ability, sound technical skill, a strong aerial presence, the versatility to operate as a hold-up striker, and opportunistic instincts near goal you simply can’t teach.

However, Juventus’ signing of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer and the development of Higuain’s countryman Paulo Dybala rendered him excess goods, so the club decided to loan him to its Serie A rival. Now he’s out of Italy entirely.

And he’s walking into the fire, so to speak. Chelsea figures to have a fight on its hands to return to the Champions League, currently sitting in fourth place but only three points ahead of both Arsenal and Manchester United.

Gonzalo Higuain, pictured signing his Chelsea contract with club director Marina Granovskaia, will try to solve the Blues’ inconsistency at striker. (Getty/Chelsea Football Club)
Gonzalo Higuain, pictured signing his Chelsea contract with club director Marina Granovskaia, will try to solve the Blues’ inconsistency at striker. (Getty/Chelsea Football Club)

To make room, the Blues are reportedly close to shipping underwhelming incumbent Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid. Morata is the latest to wear the No. 9 shirt for Chelsea, which Higuain will assume and has been considered cursed for some time now by the Stamford Bridge faithful.

None of Chelsea’s best attackers during this golden age have worn the No. 9. Didier Drogba didn’t wear it; he wore 11. Diego Costa wore 19. Nicolas Anelka wore 39. No, the shirt has cycled through busts like Morata, Fernando Torres and Radamel Falcao.

And even the likes of Drogba, whose inspirational presence and two astronomical campaigns in 2006-07 and 2009-10 papered over a bunch of good-not-great seasons, and Costa, who led the line for a pair of Premier League-winning sides despite his volatile and sometimes disruptive disposition, lacked the longevity of an Alan Shearer, a Wayne Rooney or even a Harry Kane.

Part of that is because Chelsea has long been constructed with deeper- and wider-lying attackers who can buttress the scoresheet, like Frank Lampard out of central midfield and Eden Hazard off the wing. Higuain can act as a divining rod for Hazard and company, funneling the attack toward goal and boosting Chelsea’s season scoring tally, which is the worst among the “Big Six” clubs atop the Premier League table. He might also help smooth over growing tensions between Sarri and his players.

But Higuain’s reputation also carries some red flags, primarily for his almost comical failures to deliver in the biggest spots. He failed to convert a giftwrapped chance against Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, which Argentina ultimately lost 1-0 (via BBC):

He failed to convert his penalty in a shootout loss to Chile in the 2015 Copa America final, but not before he biffed this golden opportunity (via DirecTV Sports):

Higuain didn’t cover himself in glory in the following summer’s Copa America Centenario final, when Argentina again lost to Chile, and he was a relative no-show in the 2017 Champions League final as Juventus lost to Real Madrid.

But Higuain won’t be counted on to deliver in a consequential one-game scenario, barring a Chelsea run to the Europa League final. Instead, he’ll have to bring structure and consistency to the Blues’ attack.

Many have failed to do that. Then again, many don’t have Higuain’s record of accomplishment.

Chelsea’s betting that’s what he’ll offer, and if he does, Higuain can be signed permanently for about $41 million at the end of the loan.

If not, Higuain will be sent back to Italy, and Chelsea will be back on the market trying to fix its annual issues.

Joey Gulino is the editor of Yahoo Soccer and moonlights as a writer. Follow him on Twitter at @JGulinoYahoo.

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