Top 10 Best Signings in Chelsea History
Chelsea is one of the immensely popular clubs in the English Premier League. Since its inception in 1905, the West London-based outfit have signed plenty of great players in their history. Incredible stars like Arjen Robben, Frank Lampard, and Eden Hazard have been parts of the best signings in Chelsea’s history.
The Blues Have enjoyed a great deal of success in the transfer market throughout their glorious history. From the era of 1950s to the present decade, the English team has roped in a bunch of incredible players through their well-planned transfer strategy. Here at Sportsdunia, we bring you the top 10 best chelsea signings.
10. Gianluca Vialli
The great Italian striker, Gianluca Vialli, was once the costliest player in the world. In 1996, in search of a new challenge, he came to Stamford Bridge from Juventus and won over the Chelsea fans in no time. In just three years, he became one of the monumental figures in the English club.
Vialli went on to finish his career at Chelsea, having won the League Cup, FA Cup and Cup Winners Cup, before ending his career as a player-manager at Stamford Bridge. His 21 goals for the West Londo club contributed to their one of the most successful periods to date.
9. Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben spent only three years at Chelsea, but his success at Stamford Bridge has made him one of the best Chelsea signings ever. In the summer of 2004, the winger from Netherlands made a move from PSV Eindhoven to the Blues to play under Jose Mourinho. And the rest is history.
Upon arrival, he started his exploits on the right wing with his gifted left foot and led Chelsea to two back-to-back Premier League winning campaigns in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons respectively. Robben also made it to the PFA EPL Team of the Year on both occasions. In three years, the gifted winger made 67 appearances in the blue shirt and scored 15 goals in the process.
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8. Gianfranco Zola
Among the top few players signed by Chelsea from Serie A, Gianfranco Zola was perhaps the greatest signing in the history of the Blues. Alongside Gianluca Vialli, Zola didn’t take much time to become one of the legends in the club. Coming from Parma in 1996, Zola stayed at Stamford Bridge for seven long years.
He was fondly called as “the magician” by the Premier League fans, courtesy of his magical skills with the ball. Zola won the Footballer of the Year award in 1997 and was a crucial figure in Chelsea’s squads that lifted the League Cup, FA Cup, and Cup Winners Cup. He was a brute force up front and netted 80 times for the West Londoners.
7. Ashley Cole
A true English football fan will never forget the name of Ashley Cole, for such a charismatic individual he was. He is most probably the greatest-ever full-back in the history of both England and Chelsea. A summer move worth £5 million saw Cole join Chelsea from Arsenal in 2006. It is still regarded as one of the most influential transfers in the club’s history.
In his eight-year stint at Stamford Bridge, Cole won all major trophies including the prestigious Champions League in 2012.
6. Petr Cech
The greatest goalkeeper in the history of Chelsea, Petr Cech, came to the London-based club in 2004 and has left an inspiring legacy behind for the young generation. The Blues spent £7 million to buy him from Rennes, and the tall goalkeeper became one of the most reliable last lines of defense between the sticks for the West Londoners.
Cech made a whopping 494 appearances for the Blues, winning almost every big title at the club level.
5. Claude Makelele
Claude Makelele is one of the most legendary signings Chelsea have ever made in their history. He was the sole reason behind the Blues’ Premier League winning campaign, which saw them concede only 15 goals throughout the 2004/05 season.
The highly talented French midfielder brought a sense of stability in the middle of the park which was pivotal for the team to hunt for every possible title. Many might raise questions about his scoring abilities, but his presence worked like an immovable pillar at Stamford Bridge, which was much more worthy than goals.
4. Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is considered the best foreign signing by many in the History of Chelsea. In his seven-year stay as a Blue, the Belgian winger wrote a glorious chapter which still remains fresh in the hearts of the fans. With his lightning pace and exquisite dribbling skills, Hazard transformed himself into one of the legends of the game.
He finished his Chelsea career on a high note with two Premier League titles and 110 goals to his name.
3. Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba established himself perhaps as the greatest signing of Chelsea in terms of attack. A nightmare for defenders, the Ivory Coast forward recorded 164 goals for the Blues across all formats and became the first African player to register this achievement. Under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti, Drogba won two golden boots, courtesy of his blistering goal-scoring performance in the English top flight including a 29-goal haul in the 2009/10 season.
He was the match-winner for the West Londoners in the 2011-12 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. In his two stints at Stamford Bridge, Drogba won four Premier League titles.
2. Roy Bentley
If you want to rank the legends of Chelsea and best transfers in Chelsea history, then the name of Roy Bentley will arguably top the list. He led the Blues to their first-ever Premier League trophy in the 1954/55 season. In the summer of 1948, the London-based club submitted a £11,000 offer to Newcastle to sign the English forward. And his joining turned out to be a great blessing for the club. In his 367 appearances for the Blues, he raked up 152 goals including his career-best 22 goals in a season in 1955.
Before joining Fulham, he was already the top scorer of the Blues. He still remains the most influential transfer in the history of the English outfit.
1. Frank Lampard
In terms of ranking the best signing in Chelsea history, we did not think twice about choosing the legendary English midfielder Frank Lampard, who mesmerized Stamford Bridge for thirteen years. A £11 million transfer deal saw the talented young playmaker make a promising move from West Ham United to Chelsea in 2001.
Afterward, Lampard transformed himself from a box-to-box midfielder to an all-rounder in the attacking zone. Within eight years of stay at Stamford Bridge, he lifted three Premier League titles including his last in 2010. In 2014, he left the Blues as their top scorer with 211 goals to find a new challenge at Manchester City.
FAQs
Q1: Who is Chelsea’s greatest signing?
Frank Lampard is perhaps Chelsea’s greatest signing.
Q2: Who is Chelsea’s highest signing in history?
Enzo Fernandez (£106.8 million).
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