Chelsea is a rich club and one of the richest in the Premier League. Even with all of that money, they occasionally make poor decisions when it comes to buying and selling players. Chelsea, whether under Roman Abramovich or Todd Boehly, isn’t afraid to spend a lot of money on players or let them go if things aren’t going well. However, not every decision they make is wise.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne, who is now considered one of the best midfielders globally, was once not successful at Chelsea. After joining from Genk in 2011-12, he only played two Premier League games for Chelsea. He was not a regular part of the main team and was sent on loan to Werder Bremen. Later, he was sold to Wolfsburg for just £16.7 million. It was there that De Bruyne showed his talent, and his career really took off. He eventually moved to Manchester City for £55 million in 2015. Since then, he has been a key player in City’s best period, winning three Premier League trophies.
2. Nathan Ake
Ake spent five years with Chelsea but played in only seven Premier League games during that time. After loan periods with Reading, Watford, and Bournemouth, he was sold to Bournemouth in the summer of 2017 for £20 million. Since then, he has been performing well in the top football league. In three seasons, Ake played 121 games under Eddie Howe, scoring 11 goals. When Bournemouth got relegated in 2020, he joined Manchester City. In his first season at Etihad, he won the Premier League and League Cup and played a significant role in their success last year when they won three trophies.
3. Mohamed Salah
Salah came to Chelsea from Basel in 2014 but only played 13 times in the league, scoring two goals. In 2015 and 2016, he was loaned to Fiorentina and Roma, and then he permanently joined Roma for about £11 million. After just one season in Italy, Liverpool unexpectedly wanted him and brought him back to the Premier League for £36.7 million. In his first season with Liverpool, Salah set a record for scoring the most goals in a 38-game season. In his second season, he helped Liverpool win the Champions League, and in his third season, he played a big part in Liverpool winning the Premier League. Now, Salah is widely considered one of the best forwards in the world, and Chelsea might regret letting him go.
4. Patrick Bamford
Bamford got stuck in Chelsea’s loan system for a long time. In his five years with the team, he was sent on loan six times. When he left for Middlesbrough in 2017, he hadn’t played a single game for Chelsea. However, this didn’t stop him. After joining Leeds United in 2018, he became a key player for Marcelo Bielsa’s team, helping them return to the Premier League in 2020. In his first season back in the top league, he scored more goals than any Chelsea player. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed down his progress since then.
5. Jamal Musiala
Jamal Musiala is a young and talented football player who became famous while playing at Cobham. He played for Chelsea in youth teams until he was 16, alongside players like Mason Mount, Reece James, and Callum Hudson-Odoi. However, he really made a name for himself in Germany. He joined Bayern Munich and quickly became part of the main team under coach Hansi Flick. Since then, he has continued to improve and become an important player in the team. He even stood out at the 2022 World Cup when he was just 19 years old.
