Big buy flops: Top forwards who failed at Chelsea

It has been an expensive affair turning Chelsea into the big team it is at the moment. The whole journey started in the early 2000s, with Roman Abramovich coming on board, and the Blues haven’t looked back. The London side has been home to some of the top talents and the fact that they’ve managed to make a name in Europe as well, sells them as a big team.

Some of the huge talents to have worn the blue of Chelsea include Didier Drogba, Adrian Mutu, Eidur Gudjonssen Samuel Eto’o and more. However, it hasn’t always worked out for the Blues. Their ambitious purchases have at times flopped badly.

Didier Drogba had two stints at the team and he retains legendary status for the impact he had. Romelu Lukaku is currently at the team on his second stint after a big money move from Inter Milan and he has been widely tipped to succeed at Chelsea this time.

He is a more mature and experienced player than in the first stint and as the world watches what his effect at Chelsea will be, the Blues remain a team to beat, and among the teams that are expected to get favorable rating on Wincomparator’s football predictions, Chelsea will definitely feature.

Here are some of the world class forwards who struggled at Chelsea despite arriving with a lot of hype:

Fernando Torres: The Spaniard had a really good stint at Liverpool, growing well after joining from Atletico Madrid. However, after a much publicized move to Stamford Bridge, he struggled to replicate his form in London. Just 45 goals in 180 games, by his standards was considered low and though he was key in Chelsea winning their first Champions League title, he hasn’t been considered a great.

Alvaro Morata: Another former Atletico Madrid forward who found his way to Chelsea is Alvaro Morata. He had a good start at Chelsea and after just six games he had as many goals. That was just it though; the flame ran out as injury and poor form hit.

Gonzalo Higuain: Maurizio Sarri’s time at Chelsea had a number of key highlights, one of the biggest was his hand in bringing Gonzalo Higuain to Stamford Bridge, having worked with the Argentine earlier. He arrived on loan and hopes of staying longer ended when he managed just five goals in 14 league games. Both the Argentine and Sarri left at the end of the 2018/2019 campaign.

Radamel Falcao: Another former Atletico Madrid player, the Colombian had done well in Spain and France before arriving in England. He was one of the best in the world but found the Premier League too tough as he had unforgettable stints at both Manchester United and Chelsea. He managed four goals at United and one at Chelsea.

Andriy Shevchenko: A key associate of Roman Abramovich, Andriy Shevchenko did not need a lot of convincing to move to Chelsea. He had a prolific run at AC Milan and the Ukrainian was supposed to be a big catch for Chelsea after a £30.8m purchase. Across two seasons, he would go on to score just 22 goals in 77 appearances before heading back to Milan. He wasn’t just a big flop, but also an expensive one.

Melody Gross

“Writer. Communicator. Award-winning food junkie. Internet ninja. Incurable bacon fanatic.”

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