10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
Since 2004, Roman Abramovich has been the godfather at Stamford Bridge. The Russian billionaire's financial wealth is one of the reasons Chelsea are regarded as a top club in world football.
Abramovich took over as the owner of Chelsea and started a revolution. The first thing he did was to sign a young and promising manager in the name of Jose Mourinho. And ever since then, the Stamford Bridge has been a regular place for high-profile signings.
Like you can't score with every shot on goal, you can't get every transfer spot on. While some might go on to become legends, some leave unknown and are forgotten in a hurry.
Chelsea is known as a ruthless club, with Abramovich being particularly strict about doing away with underperformers. The Russian has earned a reputation for axing players and managers who don't perform at the club.
Even the likes of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti have found it hard to avoid being poleaxed by the Russian. When masterminds like them don't stand a chance, how can the players?
In this slideshow, we take a look at 10 players who joined Chelsea as promising talents but left as forgotten men.
#10: Mateja Kezman
Serbian forward Mateja Kezman was born for scoring a plethora goals, and he did so with PSV Eindhoven. He scored a brilliant 105 goals in 122 appearances over four years with the Dutch outfit. With those numbers, Kezman was a target for a host of clubs and decided to go for Chelsea in a 3.5 million deal.
While Kezman agreed to be at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea roped in another exciting young talent - Arjen Robben. The two were touted to be the next deadly duo in the Premier League. Kezman was nicknamed 'Batman', owing to his partnership with Robben.
However, things failed to go through as the Serbian could score only 7 goals in 41 appearances for the club, causing Mourinho to offload in just a year. Kezman joined Atletico Madrid in a no-profit-no-loss deal from Chelsea, after failing to make his mark at the Stamford Bridge.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#9: Scott Parker
As a young prospect, Scott Parker set Charlton alight with impressive displays as a central midfielder. His performances earned him rave reviews and Chelsea came calling in January 2004. The midfielder signed a deal worth £10.5 million.
But things took a wrong turn as Parker came to the Stamford Bridge. Instead of being played regularly, the player became a victim of rotation and failed to gain Mourinho's trust. To add to his woes, Frank Lampard was at the height of his powers and Claude Makelele was making a name for himself in midfield.
Parker found it hard to come out of the shadow of these talented midfielders, after being named as PFA Player of the Year in 2004. In his lone season at the club, the midfielder made 15 appearances and netted only once for the Blues. He was later shipped off to Newcastle United by Jose Mourinho.
Scott Parker became Tottenham's skipper but never fulfilled his potential.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#8: Tal Ben-Haim
Chelsea tried to sign Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim in January 2007, however, the talks with Bolton Wanderers failed to go through. But the centre-back joined the London outfit in June that year on a Bosman transfer.
Ben Haim instantly showed promise after being fielded in his preferred position by Jose Mourinho. Injuries to John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho helped him secure a spot in the starting XI.
But with Terry and Carvalho returning and Mourinho joining Inter Milan, Ben Haim found himself as the fourth-choice centre-back behind the two of them and Alex. A spat with the interim manager Avram Grant proved to be the final nail in his coffin and he departed after just one season in London for another torrid year with Manchester City.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#7: Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun joined Chelsea from Liverpool in July 2010. The Israeli attacker had found it hard to get into the starting XI, after having back-to-back loan spells at Arsenal and West Ham United.
A crucial player at Liverpool, Benayoun had to compete with the likes of Michael Essien, Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard, Oscar, and Juan Mata for a spot at Chelsea. He was mainly deployed as a rotational player in a strong Chelsea squad. The midfielder was able to make only 14 appearances in a span of three years, scoring only once for the Blues.
To make the matters worse, Benayoun was subjected to some racist jeering from his own supporters. The Diamond from Dimona left Chelsea in 2013 but failed to resurrect his career after stints with Queens Park Rangers and other low-profile clubs.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#6: Marko Marin
During his stint with German outfit Werder Bremen, Marin was touted to be the 'German Messi' owing to his explosive dribbling skills. The German international made a name for himself with superstar Mesut Ozil at Bremen but failed to make it to the level his counterpart now operates at.
After two promising seasons at Werder Bremen, Marin signed for Chelsea in 2012. An enthusiastic Marin described Chelsea as his dream club, putting up impressive displays in the pre-season for the Blues. However, the fairytale didn't last long due to recurring injuries in the remaining year.
Marin found himself on the fringes with the likes of Mata, Hazard, Oscar and Victor Moses dominating the Chelsea midfield. He served four loan spells in his time at Stamford Bridge, making only six appearances and scoring 1 goal for the club.
The German midfielder tried to resuscitate his career on loan spells but failed to do so. Frustrated due to the lack of first-team choices and recurring loan spells, he joined Olympiakos in 2016. Marin remains far from fulfilling the potential he showed in his times with Werder Bremen.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#5: Chris Sutton
Any die-hard Premier League fan would remember Chris Sutton as the prolific striker who formed a deadly partnership with the legendary Alan Shearer during their time at Blackburn. Their partnership proved to be a pivotal thing in Blackburn's title-winning campaign.
Sutton signed for Chelsea after Blackburn faced relegation in 1999. The English hitman, however, came to Stamford Bridge as nothing but a shadow of his former self. A £10 million signing from The Riversiders, Sutton failed to live up to his price tag, making only 29 appearances and netting 3 goals during a torrid season at Stamford Bridge.
Sutton failed to revive his career after his 1-year stint with the Londoners. The English forward had spells with Celtic, Birmingham, Aston Villa, and Wroxham following his departure from Chelsea.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#4: Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright Phillips was the subject of a £21 million bid from Chelsea following his impressive exploits at Manchester City. The Englishman decided to switch sides, but little did he know that fate had worse things for him in store.
In his debut season, the Englishman made just 15 appearances in his first season at Stamford Bridge. Further, he found it hard to break into the starting eleven with Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Joe Cole dominating the midfield lines at Chelsea. The stiff competition saw him grab less game time compared to his stint at Manchester City.
This, in turn, had a great impact on his international career. Wright-Phillips failed to secure a place in England for the 2006 World Cup. The final shot at Wright Phillips was fired by Avram Grant as the Israeli coach ignored him for the Champions League final versus Manchester United. After a fall-out with new boss Luis Felipe Scolari, he left Stamford Bridge to join former club Manchester City.
But, the Englishman couldn't replicate his blistering form for the Citizens in his second stint with the club, falling short of the standards expected from him.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#3: Hernan Crespo
Hernan Crespo was once the most expensive footballer in the world, following his £35 million record move to Lazio from Parma in 2000. Crespo had scored 80 goals in four seasons with Parma. But, the Argentine failed to live up to the expectations as Lazio failed to defend their title.
Lazio offloaded the Argentine to rivals Inter Milan due to their financial problems. Chelsea approached the striker a year later and Crespo made his decision to move to Stamford Bridge. But, scoring 12 goals in his debut season proved to fall short of the expectations from the Argentine.
On Jose Mourinho's arrival at Chelsea, the striker was deemed surplus to requirements and Didier Drogba's arrival saw him being shipped off to AC Milan on loan. Crespo had a great season, winning the Champions League and scoring a brace in the final versus Liverpool.
On his return, he was again sent on a two-year-loan to Internazionale. Crespo wasn't given the required game time at the Bridge. As a result, Chelsea finally released him in 2008 following the expiry of his contract.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#2: Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko at his prime was a terrific player to have in front of the goal. The Ukranian was greatly admired at AC Milan and won the Ballon d'Or in 2004. He has a host of remarkable achievements to his name and becoming the third highest Champions League goal scorer is one of them.
Roman Abrahamovic poached the striker for a record £30.8 million fee. But Shevchenko failed to live up to the hype, scoring 14 goals in 51 appearances in his debut season at the club. Shevchenko was unable to replicate his blistering form that made him one of the most feared strikers all over Europe.
The appointment of Luis Felipe Scolari saw the former Ballon d'Or winner being loaned out to former club AC Milan. But, Shevchenko was far from the heights he had touched during his first spell with the club. He remained a mere shadow of his former self, unable to resuscitate his career.
10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea
#1: Fernando Torres
The melancholic tale of Fernando Torres's fall from grace was nothing short of heart-wrenching. In his prime, Fernando Torres was known to be a nightmare even Nemanja Vidic. He was a sensational striker and even captained Atletico at the tender age of nineteen.
Torres built a formidable partnership with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at Anfield. Although the pair didn't win enough trophies, their partnership was one of the most celebrated ones in Premier League history.
Chelsea came calling for Torres in 2011 and Torres put pen to paper on a record £50 million move, making him the most expensive player in the Premier League. But, El Nino proved to be yet another player who fell to the curse of Stamford Bridge.
The Spaniard's lack of goals invited the ire of Chelsea fans. Torres had a miserable time and his open-goal miss versus Manchester United did considerable harm to his reputation as a world-class striker. In 172 appearances, El Nino netted only 45 times for the Blues.
Torres now lies forgotten with a tarnished reputation at Atletico Madrid aged thirty. Once a deadly assassin in front of the goal, El Nino is regarded as one of the biggest failures at the Stamford Bridge.
0 comments:
Post a Comment