Chelsea has had some outstanding players throughout its history. Club legends include football giants like Frank Lampard and John Terry. Fans also adore Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. However, several players who performed really well while at Chelsea flopped after leaving the club.
5 players who flopped after leaving Chelsea:
1. Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012 to improve his skills and career from Lille. Hazard was an amazing player in the Premier League, showing off his quick footwork and clever dribbling. He won two league titles with Chelsea, and his best season was in 2018-19 when he scored 16 goals and had 15 assists. However, things didn’t go well for him at Real Madrid, despite winning La Liga in his first season. Hazard faced difficulties and, after a tough time, he left the club in 2023 and retired from football soon after.
2. Willian
Willian, the Brazilian winger, left Chelsea in 2020 as the team was making changes to its attacking players. He spent just one year at Arsenal and then went back to Corinthians in 2021. Later, he joined Fulham in September. While he had some good moments at Fulham, he didn’t shine as much. Before, he was a top player with Chelsea and could have stayed there longer.
3. Joe Cole
Joe Cole was seen as a talented young player when he was young. He developed a lot while playing for the Hammers before joining Chelsea in 2003. With his style, quickness, and great dribbling, people loved watching him play for Chelsea. He won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, but when his contract ended in 2010, he joined Liverpool. The difficulty in renewing his contract at Chelsea led to him leaving, and he was never quite as good a player after that.
4. David Luiz
Luiz used to be one of the top center-backs in the Premier League while playing for Chelsea. He won almost every club honor possible with Chelsea and was a strong partner for John Terry in defense. After a successful first stint with the Blues, his second time there didn’t go as smoothly. In 2019, he moved to Arsenal for £8m. His style of defending, which was sometimes too risky, struggled against the fast attacks in the Premier League. Eventually, he moved to Flamengo in 2021, where he still plays.
5. Oscar
Oscar joined Chelsea in the summer of 2012 and did really well in England. He won a Premier League title in 2015, along with a League Cup and the Europa League. Oscar played regularly at Stamford Bridge, even when the managers changed a lot. He made over 200 appearances in four and a half seasons. Despite being a crucial part of the team, he shockingly decided to join Shanghai SIPG in the January transfer window of 2017. After that, he struggled a lot and was never the same player.
