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Chelsea have grown from strength to strength, especially since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich came on board in 2003. Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have won every competition they've been eligible to play in, with countless trophies in the cabinet.
With Abramovich's era came the finances to rebuild the squad from scratch, and the oligarch did not hold back. Financing deals to bring stars like David Luiz and Juan Mata have been beneficial, but some expensive mistakes have been made as well. Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres were costly deals that brought the players to Stamford Bridge where they failed to live up to expectations.
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Players like Reece James and Nathan Ake are notable graduates of Chelsea's academy. However, the influx of academy players into the first team is mostly recent. Much of the Blues' strengths have come from their prowess in the transfer market, from where they have brought world-class players to Stamford Bridge.
Without further ado, let's take a look at Chelsea's most influential signings of the 21st century:
#5 Claude Makelele | Chelsea legend
When the Frenchman was leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2003, Florentino Perez made it clear that Real Madrid had no use for him. "We will not miss Makelele," said Los Blancos' president. Makelele joined Chelsea and ensured that Perez ate his words.
At Chelsea, the Frenchman was the epitome of brilliance in the defensive midfield. Pivotal to Jose Mourinho's squad, the legend guided the Blues to six trophies, including two back-to-back Premier League titles.
Claude Makelele redefined the defensive midfield role at Chelsea. Other Blues midfielders today are still compared to his legendary influence in the middle of the park.
#4 Petr Cech | Chelsea legend
Although he eventually finished his Premier League career at Arsenal, the Czech goalkeeper is notably one of the best goalkeepers of all time for Chelsea. When he moved from Rennes to Stamford Bridge in 2004, no one could have imagined that he would end up spending 11 years with the Blues.
Cech stood between the sticks in nearly every game of his Chelsea career. The star goalkeeper guided the Blues to an astonishing 15 trophies in just 11 seasons.
Since 2000, Cech has the third-most clean sheets among all goalkeepers in the world. He also holds numerous goalkeeping records, including reaching 100 clean sheets in just 180 Premier League games.
#3 Didier Drogba | Chelsea legend
Establishing himself as a Chelsea legend almost looked like an effortless thing for the Ivorian international. He left Marseille in 2004 to join Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side and quickly became one of the most potent goalscorers in the Premier League. He was notably the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals.
Drogba is Chelsea's highest foreign goalscorer with 145 goals in all competitions, a position he has held for just under a decade.
He was often referred to as the ultimate big-game player due to his goalscoring prowess during the most important games. He notably scored 10 goals in 10 finals to guide the Blues to 10 trophies.
#2 Eden Hazard | Real Madrid
The last few seasons have been one of struggles and poor performances for Eden Hazard at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, during his time at Chelsea, the star was an enigma.
Leaving Lille to join Chelsea in 2012, Hazard became the Blues' key talisman. He unlocked Premier League defenses at will, guiding the side to six trophies in seven years.
While the star might have stalled at Real Madrid, his Chelsea numbers were astonishing as he scored a goal every three games for the Blues. There have been rumors of a return for the former Chelsea star. The Blues fans will certainly be hoping that he is triumphant if he does return.
#1 Frank Lampard | Chelsea legend
Lampard had a tough time managing the Blues and eventually got fired in 2021 due to poor performances. Due to this, it can be easy to forget that the young manager is one of the best Chelsea players in the history of the club.
Signed from West Ham for a paltry £11 million in 2001, the legend provided Chelsea with some of the best midfield performances they had ever seen.
Lampard is the midfielder with the highest number of goals in Premier League history. He also set a record by making 164 consecutive appearances for the Blues since his West Ham move.
Even during his later years, when his playing time was reduced, Lampard remained a key figure in the club. His notable output of 20 goals per season for five consecutive seasons is something no other midfielder at Chelsea has done. He will always be legendary because of it.
