Roman Abramovich embarked a football revolution at Stamford Bridge when he took over as Chelsea owner in 2003.The Russian billionaire, who was only 37 at the time when he bought the club, had one aim - to convert Chelsea into a European giant at par with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid.
And thus, began the Roman Empire at The Bridge. Greatness would not come without money, though. The ambitious Russian was ready to spend a fortune in search of creating a football dynasty in West London. He signed fantastic players, often at exorbitant costs, who would give him success throughout the course of his reign. Some players, in the form of an Adrian Mutu or Andriy Shevchenko, would flop in London. Abramovich would then take out some more from his deep, oil-money pockets and continue buying players (and change managers) in his search for European greatness.
Chelsea have had some of the most expensive signings in football history over the years in their quest for EPL and Champions League success. They finally won the Champions League in 2012, and though the free spending has reduced because of FFP, it hasn’t stopped Abramovich from buying star players to expand his reign.
Here, we look at the ten most expensive signings ever by Chelsea (The source is Transfermarkt.com. The fees includes add-ons and is also adjusted for inflation):
#10. Cesc Fabregas; €33m
Spaniard Cesc Fabregas returned to London in 2014, after three years at Barcelona, for a reported fee of €33 million. However, it was not Arsenal, where he was captain and had become one of the best midfielders in the world, but Chelsea who made sure that the playmaker’s future was at Stamford Bridge.
Cesc had become increasingly unsettled at Camp Nou and 20 minutes was all it took Mourinho to convince Fabregas into joining Chelsea who was earlier rejected by Arsenal who did not activate his buy-back clause.
The signing proved to be a perfect buy for the Blues as Fabregas was the clock which kept the Chelsea midfield ticking in their way to the Premier League title in 2015. Cesc had made 18 assists by the end of the season as Chelsea romped through to the Premier League title. There was a steep decline in form the next season leading to the worst ever Premier League title defence in history and the sacking of manager Jose Mourinho in December. However, at the end of the season, Cesc picked himself up and now will look to impress new manager Antonio Conte to cement a place in the Chelsea starting line-up.
#9. Willian; €35.5m
Even before kicking a ball for the Blues after Willian was signed in 2013, he was already a hero. A late bid and some convincing by Jose Mourinho had Chelsea successfully hijack the Brazilian from Tottenham Hotspur’s hand in spite of Willian already having undergone a medical for Spurs. Chelsea signed the Brazilian midfielder from Anzhi Makhachkala from a reported €35.5 million in a major rebuilding process under Jose Mourinho’s second term as Chelsea manager.
Willian had previously played for six years at Shakhtar Donetsk before joining Anzhi. He was lauded for his pace and tireless energy on the pitch. Upon joining Chelsea, Mourinho took an instant liking for Willian. He was the ideal Mourinho player who was willing to run with and without the ball and give all for his team.
The Brazilian was a crucial part of the Blues’ Premier League win the next season linking up brilliantly with Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas. Willian was voted Chelsea Player of the Year in 2016 where he was perhaps the only bright light in a disappointing campaign for the Blues.
#8. N’Golo Kante; €35.8m
Chelsea got hold of N’Golo Kante for a fee of €35.8 million this summer after having a breakthrough season for Leicester City where he guided the Foxes to a fairytale Premier League win. Kante was instrumental in midfield for Leicester, breaking up play and showing untiring energy throughout the season.
Kante had made more tackles and interceptions than any other player in the Premier League last season and an opportunity to work with Antonio Conte and play for one of the best teams in Europe in recent times was too good to turn down.The Frenchman, who comes in on the back of a Euro Final defeat at the hands of Portugal, will have to prove to fans and critics that he was not a one-year wonder.
Also Read: Kante a welcome selection headache for Chelsea
The defensive midfielder will look to cement a place in the starting line-up and will face competition from Matic and Mikel. Kante is only 25 and if he performs the way he did last season, the Frenchman has a long way to go.
#7. Michael Essien; €38m
After winning the title with a record 95 points in 2005, Jose Mourinho seemed determined to bolster his midfield in pre-season. Michael Essien was bought from Lyon for €38 million which was the club-record fee at that time.
Essien’s signature, however, did not come without its share of the drama. Chelsea were chasing the Ghanaian midfielder for quite some time and had a number of bids rejected by Lyon. Essien had helped Lyon win back-to-back league titles in France in the previous two years. However, people felt that his price was a little too high to which Mourinho had replied: "Big teams only want big players, big players are in big clubs, big clubs want to keep their big players. The player is here and we think we have a really strong squad with a lot of space for improvement because everyone is very young."
The Ghanaian became an instant hit at Stamford Bridge. Partnering with Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard in midfield, he ran riot for the Londoners. Possessing immense strength and stamina, the box-to-box midfielder was a perfect fit to support both attack and defence at Chelsea. ‘The Bison’, as he was nicknamed, went on to win two domestic league titles with the Blues along with four FA Cups and a Champions League.
After departing Chelsea, he joined AC Milan in 2014 and now plies his trade for Greek side Panathinaikos.
#6. Diego Costa; €38m
Volatile striker Diego Costa completed a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2014 from Atletico Madrid for €38 million. He had been one of the most consistent strikers in Europe for Atletico propelling them to the La Liga title and a Champions League final in the 2013-14 season. Born in Brazil, Costa’s physicality and direct approach impressed Jose Mourinho who has always favoured such a striker in his teams.
Diego Costa immediately lit up the Premier League upon his arrival in London. Costa scored an impressive 20 goals in the league guiding the Blues to the title. The forward struck fear in the minds of the defenders who were often riled up by Costa’s aggressive approach. He missed quite a few matches the next season due to injury. However, he still managed to score 12 goals in which was a terrible season for the Londoners.
Diego Costa has often been criticised for violent conduct on the pitch and will want to get his act straight under Antonio Conte in the upcoming season.
#5. Didier Drogba; €38.5m
Didier Drogba was perhaps the best buy for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich took over the club. Arriving from Marseille for a fee of €38.5 million, Drogba was one of the first signings Jose Mourinho made when he came to the club. For Marseille, he had scored 32 goals in all competitions which included five in the Champions League.
The Ivory Coast international was identified as the premier man to lead Chelsea’s attack for years to come and every penny spent on him proved to be worth it. Drogba would go on to become the epitome of the lone-striker in football because of his physicality, aerial prowess and ability to retain possession. Drogba is renowned for scoring in big matches, having put the ball in the net on 10 occasions in 10 finals, winning ten trophies in the process.
Drogba scored a late headed equaliser in the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich in 2012 and put the last penalty behind the net past Manuel Neuer guiding Chelsea win their first ever Champions League. In the process, he established himself as the ‘King of Stamford Bridge’ and put his name Champions League folklore forever.
Drogba would have a reunion with Mourinho at Chelsea again in 2014 when he was signed for a year, helping the team win the Premier League and League Cup double in the same season. He now plays for MLS side Montreal Impact where he signed in 2015.
#4. Michy Batshuayi; €39m
The last time Chelsea signed a striker from Marseille, he came in the form of Didier Drogba who established himself as a Chelsea legend and one of the best forwards of his generation. Drogba went on to win four Premier League titles and a Champions League for the Blues. Therefore, when young Michy Batshuayi was signed from Marseille this summer for a reported fee of €39 million, he drew immediate comparisons to the ‘King of Stamford Bridge’, Didier Drogba.
He scored 23 goals last season for Marseille and represented Belgium in Euro 2016 scoring a goal in Belgium’s 2-0 win against Hungary.However, the 22-year-old, who signed a five-year contract will have shoes which might prove a little too big to fill.
Batshuayi has already opened his Chelsea account after scoring against WAC Pellets in a friendly and Chelsea will hope that they have got a top striker for years to come who can emulate, if not overtake, the legendary Didier Drogba.
#3. Eden Hazard; €40m
Eden Hazard was handed the #17 shirt upon his arrival at Chelsea in 2012 for a reported fee of €40 million. It was a major rebuilding process taking place in Chelsea after the ‘old horses’ in Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard had served the Blues for a good part of the decade. Hazard’s arrival from Lille was backed up by back-to-back Ligue 1 Player of the Year awards, scoring 17 goals the previous season.
The young Belgian came with a lot of hype and was touted as one of the best young prospects in Europe at that time. He was an attacking midfielder who also played as a winger. In his first season at Chelsea, Hazard scored 13 goals in all competitions. Under incoming manager Jose Mourinho, Hazard was often criticised for his work-rate without the ball in the 2013-14 season.
The 2014-15 season would, however, be Hazard’s breakthrough season where he led the Blues to a Premier League win and won the PFA Player of the Year for the first time. He had ravaged defences with his skill and pace and the Belgian drew comparisons to the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.
Also Read: Eden Hazard admits he couldn’t leave Chelsea after how last season went
After a poor 2015-16 season with Chelsea, Eden Hazard will hope that he can get back to his best form under new manager Antonio Conte if he is to be regarded as the best in the world in the future.
#2.Andriy Shevchenko; €43.3m
Chelsea signed prolific Ukrainian goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan for a fee of €43.3 million in 2006. The deal broke Chelsea’s transfer record fee held by Michael Essien who was signed in 2005. Andriy Shevchenko was a Milan legend and great things were expected of the centre-forward at Stamford Bridge.
Roman Abramovich had failed to sign the Ukrainian from the Italian giants in 2005 and had to break the bank a year later to get hold of the AC Milan man. All the excitement around Shevchenko’s arrival at the club was soon diffused as he could never cement a starting place in Mourinho’s line-up. At almost 30, there was no overtaking Drogba even for Milan’s second-highest goalscorer ever.
Shevchenko’s time at the London club was plagued with injuries and he had become a victim of the tactical style Chelsea played which included only one striker. Though he had his moments in the Chelsea shirt, the Ukrainian never got going for the Blues, scoring just 9 goals in 48 top flight matches. After a loan spell at Milan, he was soon sold by Carlo Ancelotti to Dynamo Kyiv.
Andriy Shevchenko is now the current manager of the Ukraine national side.
#1. Fernando Torres; €58.5m
When Chelsea signed Fernando Torres in the January transfer window in 2011, he was one of the hottest properties in Europe. He was scoring at will for Liverpool and terrorising defences in the Premier League. Torres moved to Stamford Bridge for €58.5 million which broke the British transfer record at that time.
He was destined to lead the line for the Blues for years. But all would not go as planned for the Spaniard. Didier Drogba was far from over as a Chelsea striker and Torres was never able to cement a starting place for the West Londoners. Goals were few and far between, and the player who was once considered the best striker in Europe was reduced to a mere shadow of his former self. Misses from point-blank range and a tendency to give up possession easily didn’t help his cause either.
Torres had his moments in the blue shirt, though, most notably his late Champions League semi-final goal against Barcelona which Chelsea eventually won. But his time at Chelsea was one to forget, both for himself and the fans.
Torres was given an escape in 2014 when he was loaned to AC Milan which was a disaster again. He showed glimpses of his best for Atletico Madrid who signed him on loan and helped Atletico reach the Champions League final in 2016. Torres signed a permanent contract with Atleti in 2016, extending his stay in Madrid for one more year. But his transfer to Chelsea will be remembered for a long time mainly because of the wrong reasons.
Click Here for all the confirmed deals from this transfer window
