da wazamba： Chelsea have signed some of the most iconic Premier League players in history, but they’ve also brought in some of the most bizarre names.
da stake casino： Most of them have come since Roman Abramovich bought the club and turned them into serious contenders both domestically and across the continent.
While they’ve previously hit the jackpot with the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard, they’ve also wasted large sums of money on players who came with a big reputation before them but could not repay the Blues both on and off the pitch.
We’ve almost certainly missed some obvious names in this because there are so many to consider…
Tiemoue Bakayoko
We start with one of the more recent ones in Tiemoue Bakayoko, someone who technically still plies his trade at Stamford Bridge but we’re unlikely ever to see in blue again.
The fact that Antonio Conte’s Chelsea forked out a remarkable £40m-ish on the sub-standard midfielder will send shivers down the spine of anyone in west London and unless the club can sell up, they’re still lumbered with him until 2022.
Jiri Jarosik
From one pricy Pensioners flop to another and Jiri Jarosik, a name synonymous in Blues folklore as one of the worst to ever represent them.
The centre-back signed from CSKA Moscow in 2005 and lasted no more than half-a-season before a loan to Birmingham City and his subsequent sale to Celtic, enough time for the Chelsea faithful to very much make up their minds on him.
Asier Del Horno
Well, Asier Del Horno’s name meant that one way or another he was always going to be laughed at in English football but he would have hoped the sniggers wouldn’t have also been caused by his performances.
The overwhelming memory most were left with from the defender’s only campaign at the Bridge was not his shoddy showings, rather his horrendous UEFA Champions League tackle on a young Lionel Messi – simply shocking.
Juan Sebastian Veron
Juan Sebastian Veron, what a player, Manchester United, Internazionale, Lazio, Argentina, countless trophies and memorable moments – so what’s he doing on this list?
That’s a good question.
Having joined for around £20m from Old Trafford in the summer of 2003, things never really clicked for the seminal central midfielder in west London as his successful spell in English football ended in an anti-climax and Veron went down as one of Chelsea’s worst ever signings.
Mateja Kezman
Much like Veron, Mateja Kezman represented some very prestigious clubs throughout his career, somehow.
The hit-and-miss poacher only spent the one term in England, making 41 appearances for a meagre return of just seven goals, streets away from what Jose Mourinho would have hoped for when he captured him from PSV – at least Kezman’s only real Chelsea highlight was a special one though, scoring the winner against Liverpool in the 2005 League Cup final.
Winston Bogarde
When a manager has no idea a player is signing due to the whole deal being conducted by the sporting director behind his back, it doesn’t have the makings of a great transfer. And so this proved with Winston Bogarde.
No one seemed to want the former Ajax, Barcelona and Holland centre-back at Chelsea, however, he was determined to stay until the end of his contract in 2004 to pick up his lofty £40k-per-week salary and who could blame him?
Bogarde only ever made 12 competitive appearances for the Blues.
Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu’s Chelsea tale is a sad one. It could have been great if the Romanian hadn’t let substance abuse issues ruin it by being sacked for his addiction to cocaine.
Mutu had a great record on the pitch in west London, registering ten goals and nine assists in just over a season before the cocaine story came out and the world came crashing down on him.
The reason the talented centre-forward makes the is the £15m the Blues threw away on him.
Marko Marin
There would be no such drama in the short Stamford Bridge stay of another failed attacker, ex-Germany prodigy Marko Marin.
The Pensioners thought they were getting something special when Werder Bremen finally gave up their budding 16-time German international in 2012 though he would only ever join the long list of Blues youngsters to be prolifically sent out on loan before exiting at the end of their contracts.
Franco Di Santo
Argentine frontman Franco Di Santo was once nicknamed the “new Maradona” as well as the “little Crespo,” the fact that he’s a Wigan Athletic cult hero probably explains how far he got in living up to those tags.
After a switch from hometown club Audax Italiano, the ex-Argentina international barely made any impact at all in west London and swapped Stamford Bridge for the DW Stadium in 2010 with zero strikes to his name.
Andriy Shevchenko
In contrast to Di Santo, Chelsea supporters certainly haven’t forgotten the name Andriy Shevchenko and they’re never likely to however much they might have wanted to.
The world football icon is another who enjoyed a near-perfect career apart from the one blemish on his CV, the spell with the Blues.
Just 77 matches and 22 goals will never endear yourself at a club when they’ve broken all kinds of records to bring you in for £30m, a whopping sum back then – if only he could have been like the man he’s pictured with above.