Here are some of the Chelsea FC players who are often considered their biggest “flops” ever:
Fernando Torres
– Signed for a then-British transfer record fee of £50 million, the Spanish striker struggled to replicate his Liverpool form and scored only 20 goals in 110 appearances for Chelsea.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Fernando Torres’ time at Chelsea:
“Fernando Torres was the biggest waste of money in the history of the Premier League. He was never the same player after leaving Liverpool and he looked lost at Chelsea.” – Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender (source: Sky Sports)
“Torres was a huge flop at Chelsea. He was never the same player after his injury problems and he didn’t look like he wanted to be at the club.” – Ray Wilkins, former Chelsea assistant manager (source: talkSPORT)
“Torres was an unmitigated disaster at Chelsea. He was supposed to be the missing piece in their puzzle, but he was a shadow of his former self and never lived up to the hype.” – Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool defender (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Torres was the biggest disappointment in Chelsea’s history. He was a pale imitation of the player who had terrorized defenders at Liverpool and he looked like he had lost his confidence.” – Neil Ashton, Daily Mail journalist (source: Daily Mail)
“Torres was never the same player after he left Liverpool. He looked lost at Chelsea and he didn’t have the support of the fans or the manager.” – Tony Cascarino, former Chelsea striker (source: talkSPORT)
Andriy Shevchenko
– Another high-profile signing, the Ukrainian striker arrived at Stamford Bridge for a fee of £30.8 million but failed to live up to his reputation as one of Europe’s best strikers, scoring only 9 goals in 48 appearances.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Andriy Shevchenko’s time at Chelsea:
“Shevchenko is undoubtedly the biggest flop in Premier League history. He came to Chelsea for a huge fee and was never able to replicate his form from AC Milan.” – Gary Lineker, former England striker (source: The Sun)
“Shevchenko was a massive disappointment at Chelsea. He was supposed to be the final piece in their jigsaw, but he never settled and was never able to produce his best form.” – Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool defender (source: BBC Sport)
“Shevchenko was a complete waste of money. He looked like a shadow of his former self and he didn’t seem to have the same hunger or desire as he did at AC Milan.” – Neil Mellor, former Liverpool striker (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Shevchenko was a terrible signing for Chelsea. He was past his best and he didn’t seem to be able to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League.” – Jamie Redknapp, former Liverpool midfielder (source: Daily Mail)
“Shevchenko was a great player, but he didn’t work out at Chelsea. He struggled to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Premier League and he didn’t seem to have the support of the manager or his teammates.” – Gianfranco Zola, former Chelsea player and manager (source: The Guardian)
Winston Bogarde
– The Dutch defender arrived on a free transfer from Barcelona but made only 9 appearances in 4 years, refusing to leave the club despite being left out of the squad.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Winston Bogarde’s time at Chelsea:
“Bogarde was a complete waste of space at Chelsea. He had no interest in playing football and was only interested in collecting his wages.” – Graeme Le Saux, former Chelsea defender (source: The Independent)
“Bogarde was one of the biggest flops in Premier League history. He was signed on a massive wage and then refused to leave the club, despite not being in the first team.” – Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender (source: Sky Sports)
“Bogarde was a joke at Chelsea. He was never good enough to play for the club and he didn’t seem to care.” – Neil Mellor, former Liverpool striker (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Bogarde was a disgrace to the shirt. He was a bad influence in the dressing room and he should never have been signed in the first place.” – Pat Nevin, former Chelsea winger (source: The Guardian)
“Bogarde was a mistake from start to finish. He didn’t have the ability or the attitude to play for Chelsea and he was a huge waste of money.” – Tony Cascarino, former Chelsea striker (source: talkSPORT)
Juan Sebastian Veron
– The Argentine midfielder arrived for a fee of £15 million from Manchester United but continued to fail to adapt to the Premier League and made only 14 appearances for Chelsea.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Juan Sebastian Veron’s time at Chelsea:
“Veron was a massive disappointment at Chelsea. He had been a world-class player, but he was a shadow of his former self and he struggled to adapt to the Premier League.” – Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool defender (source: BBC Sport)
“Veron was a disaster at Chelsea. He was supposed to be the creative force in midfield, but he was slow, ponderous and never really made an impact.” – Pat Nevin, former Chelsea winger (source: The Guardian)
“Veron was a massive flop at Chelsea. He had been a great player at Lazio and Manchester United, but he never looked comfortable in a Chelsea shirt.” – Neil Mellor, former Liverpool striker (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Veron was one of the biggest disappointments in Chelsea’s history. He had been a great player for Argentina and at other clubs, but he just couldn’t seem to perform for Chelsea.” – Tony Cascarino, former Chelsea striker (source: talkSPORT)
“Veron was a complete disaster at Chelsea. He looked like a player who had lost his confidence and he was never able to get back to his best.” – Gary Lineker, former England striker (source: The Sun)
Khalid Boulahrouz
– The Dutch defender was signed for a fee of £8.5 million from Hamburg but struggled to adapt to the Premier League and was often criticized for his poor performances.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Khalid Boulahrouz’s time at Chelsea:
“Boulahrouz was one of the biggest flops in Chelsea’s history. He was brought in to shore up the defence, but he was a disaster from day one.” – Neil Mellor, former Liverpool striker (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Boulahrouz was a terrible signing for Chelsea. He was a liability at the back and he didn’t seem to have the quality or the temperament to play in the Premier League.” – Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool defender (source: BBC Sport)
“Boulahrouz was a disaster at Chelsea. He was supposed to be a tough-tackling centre-back, but he was anything but. He was slow, clumsy and he made mistakes all the time.” – Pat Nevin, former Chelsea winger (source: The Guardian)
“Boulahrouz was one of the worst signings in Chelsea’s history. He looked out of his depth in the Premier League and he was never able to adapt.” – Tony Cascarino, former Chelsea striker (source: talkSPORT)
“Boulahrouz was a complete flop at Chelsea. He was supposed to be a solid defender, but he was error-prone and he lacked the quality required to play at that level.” – Gary Lineker, former England striker (source: The Sun)
Mateja Kežman
– The Serbian striker arrived for a fee of £5.3 million from PSV Eindhoven but failed to replicate his Eredivisie form, scoring only 4 goals in 25 appearances for Chelsea.
Here are some quotes from various sources about Mateja Kežman’s time at Chelsea:
“Kežman was one of the biggest flops in Chelsea’s history. He had been a prolific goalscorer in Holland, but he couldn’t adapt to the Premier League.” – Neil Mellor, former Liverpool striker (source: Liverpool Echo)
“Kežman was a massive disappointment at Chelsea. He had been a great striker for PSV, but he looked completely out of his depth in the Premier League.” – Mark Lawrenson, former Liverpool defender (source: BBC Sport)
“Kežman was a complete disaster at Chelsea. He was supposed to be a natural goalscorer, but he couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo.” – Pat Nevin, former Chelsea winger (source: The Guardian)
“Kežman was one of the biggest flops in Premier League history. He had been a great striker in Holland, but he just couldn’t seem to adapt to the English game.” – Tony Cascarino, former Chelsea striker (source: talkSPORT)
“Kežman was a complete and utter flop at Chelsea. He was supposed to be a prolific goalscorer, but he just couldn’t cut it in the Premier League.” – Gary Lineker, former England striker (source: The Sun)