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Over the years, Chelsea has sold many of their talented players. Some of them eventually end up playing for rival clubs and their achievements are now beyond imagination. This has led many to wonder, how the club would look like if those transfers have not gone through.
It remains a matter of fact that those who have been sold are likely not to return to Stamford Bridge for the rest of their playing career. There is no one who can be solely blamed for the sale of those players.
Young promising footballers such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have now earnt a reputation for themselves while playing for other clubs. They have developed exceptionally well after their departure from Chelsea and are now well regarded in the world as top representatives of football. Besides the young stars, experienced players such as Arjen Robben and Juan Mata were also once Chelsea players.
They once wore the Blues' jersey but are now donning the attire of other clubs. Here is a look at the five players that Chelsea should not have sold.
5) Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku arrived in Chelsea in 2011 and he spent three years as a player for the Blues. During his career for the club, he played just 10 times and failed to score for the club. Over those three years, the Belgian was loaned to West Bromwich Albion and Everton.
After a successful loan spell with the Toffees, Everton signed the young striker who went on to make 110 appearances and scoring 53 goals in the process in the span of three years. The Blues earnt 14.3 million pounds from the sale of Lukaku to Everton for around 30 million pounds.
His value in the market then skyrocketed after his prolific goalscoring form for Everton. Manchester United bought him in the previous transfer window at a fee of around 75 million pounds with 15 million in add-ons. Lukaku has the physical attributes of a great striker and Chelsea should not have let go of him.
Judging from his upper body strength, he is capable of shielding the ball as he moves forward and it will be difficult for defenders to stop him. At the same time, he is tall and fast. This makes him a huge threat in the box. Chelsea has had goalscoring problems recently and if Lukaku were still with the team, he would surely have alleviated the situation.
4) Kevin de Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne has the most number of assists thus far this season. Standing at the top of the chart with 15 assists, Willian is the closest Chelsea player to him with seven assists this season.
The midfielder joined Chelsea in January 2012 on deadline day where he signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. He spent a year on loan to Werder Bremen, and when Jose Mourinho joined Chelsea as manager, the coach assured him of a place in the team. Unfortunately, things did not progress well for de Bruyne and he was sold to Wolfsburg in 2014.
Being one of the most consistent players, he is also known for his strong technique and accuracy in long-range passing. As compared to international team-mate Eden Hazard, de Bruyne is far more capable of performing on a regular basis. Chelsea has suffered because of Hazard's dip in form recently. The Blues should not have sold De Bruyne who can be a reliable centre-midfielder for the club too.
3) Arjen Robben
The Bayern Munich veteran midfielder is one of the best in the world. At the age of 34, he is still capable of playing at the highest level of professional football for Bundesliga Champions, Bayern Munich.
Robben is extremely skilled in his passing and averages an 85% pass accuracy in Bundesliga this season. After making 34 appearances for the German club, he has found the net seven times and provided six assists.
The Dutchman is often in a league of his own. Not only can he play as a winger, he deals comfortably with pressure at the back too and is always more than willing to lend a helping hand to his team. At Bayern, Robben's defensive work improved and he was even named the fourth-best footballer in the world in 2014 by the Guardian.
From 2004-2007, Robben played for Chelsea and helped his club to become the league champions. However, it seemed like Robben did not enjoy his time with the English side. In 2007 after he moved to Real Madrid, he mentioned that he felt a lack of support from Mourinho, who was Chelsea's manager at that point in time.
The Dutch winger has been getting better and better even as he ages and it had been a waste for Chelsea to let go of him when he was younger.
2) Mohamed Salah
Salah has topped Premier League goalscoring charts this season and is on course to winning the Golden Boot award. With 31 Premier League goals in first place, he is far ahead of Eden Hazard who is Chelsea's top scorer this season. Hazard has 12 goals to his name and ranks 9th in the standings.
The 25-year-old forward spent two years in Chelsea from 2014 to 2016 where he made 13 appearances and scored twice. At that point in time, not many knew of his potential. In 2015, Salah joined Roma on loan before making it a permanent move. In the Serie A, Salah excelled in front of goal. Moreover, since joining Liverpool, he has netted in almost every match and is the kind of goalscorer that every team would want.
''He's fast, creative, enthusiastic. When we analyse him he looks the kind of humble personality on the pitch, ready to work for the team and adapt to a new life.''
Those were the praises Mourinho sang when Chelsea signed 21-year-old Salah from Basel. The Egyptian did live up to Mourinho's words but he is now playing for Premier League rivals, Liverpool.
The Reds have scored 80 Premier League goals as compared to Chelsea's 59 goals. Salah's importance for a club is getting more and more significant and evident. One of Chelsea's biggest mistake is letting him leave.
1) Juan Mata
Mata joined Chelsea in 2011. He spent three years at Stamford Bridge but failed to nail a spot in the starting line-up in his last season with Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho.
The skilful Spanish midfielder is highly regarded for his ability to pass accurately and control the ball well. The lack of game-time forced Mata into a move away from the London club and he has now become a regular player for the Red Devils.
At 29 years of age, Mata continues to play beautiful football for his team. His great vision of the game has allowed him to contribute to the attacking force of his club.
At times, Chelsea players lack that creativity and imagination to spark an attack. Mata's presence allows the team to be less stagnant and it is regrettable that Chelsea sold him to a fierce rival.
