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Chelsea have been among the most successful English clubs of the 21st century. Ever since Roman Abramovich’s takeover, they have entered their best spell ever and been coached by some of the best in the business such as Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel. The Londoners have won plenty of silverware during this period.
The Blues have spent a whopping €2.44 billion in transfer fees since 2000, more than any Premier League club. While this has produced results and won trophies, some players have had their careers stalled at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's way of hiring new managers frequently leads to players becoming surplus to requirements
Chelsea’s ruthless ideology of sacking managers after a two or three-year spell has led to short-term success. However, it also leads to the downfall of many players. For instance, a player bought by manager A might not fit into the scheme of things for manager B and fall out of favor.
With that said, let’s take a look at five such players who didn’t have a memorable time at Chelsea.
#5 Fabio Borini
Fabio Borini is known for his disappointing spell with Liverpool in the early 2010s. Before that, however, Borini was on Chelsea's books. The Italian forward played for the reigning Champions League champions for a brief period between 2009 and 2011.
The Anfield flop won three trophies for The Blues, including the 2009-10 Premier League title and the 2009-10 FA Cup. Despite being prolific for the Chelsea U23 side, he got just eight chances in the senior team, games in which he failed to find the back of the net even once.
He impressed in 2010-11 while on loan at Swansea. Brendan Rodgers was an admirer of the Italian’s abilities and signed him for Liverpool in 2012. After multiple failed moves since then, the left-winger is now earning his wages at Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk.
#4 Patrick van Aanholt
Patrick van Aanholt was part of the youth setup at Cobham. He played for both the U18 and U23 sides before moving on to the senior team. The Dutch left-back played just eight times for The Blues, only two of which were in the Premier League.
The current Galatasaray number 6 faced stiff competition from Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge. With Cole being arguably the best left-back in Premier League history, van Aanholt stood no chance of finding a regular place in the team.
The Dutchman has had two relatively fruitful spells in the Premier League, first with Sunderland and then with Crystal Palace. Although he was no world-beater, he did a fine job for a mid-table club. At the national level, van Aanholt earned 19 caps.
#3 Oriol Romeu
Oriol Romeu plied his trade for Chelsea during the same time as Patrick van Aanholt. The former La Masia graduate signed for the London-based club in 2011 in a deal worth €4.60m. The five-time Premier League winners managed to make a profit of €2.40 million when they sold Romeu to Southampton in 2015.
Romeu played 33 times for The Blues and was a part of the squad that won the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League. Often considered surplus to requirements, Romeu was loaned out to Valencia in 2013-14 and Stuttgart in 2014-15.
The Spanish midfielder's career stabilized when he moved to the south coast. He has accumulated 240 appearances for The Saints, becoming somewhat of a mainstay in the middle of the park. His importance to Southampton sharply contrasts with his struggles at Chelsea.
#2 Scott Sinclair
Scott Sinclair was part of an array of talented young English attacking players coming through in the 2000s. He became Bristol City's second-youngest debutant at the age of 15. This caught the attention of the big clubs and he was signed by Chelsea in 2005.
Sinclair played 14 matches for Chelsea, primarily during the first two years of his contract. From 2007 to 2010, the winger was loaned out to several clubs like Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic. He moved to Swansea City on a permanent basis in 2010.
The Englishman had his best individual performances at Swansea and Celtic. Now 32, he is currently playing for Preston North End in the Championship. It is safe to say that his spell at Chelsea was an eminently forgettable one.
#1 Ricardo Quaresma
Ricardo Quaresma is often termed a player that the streets will never forget due to his flicks and tricks. With that being said, his brief spell at Chelsea was anything but worth remembering. He played five matches for the Londoners during a loan spell in 2009, scoring zero goals.
The Portuguese winger was renowned for his tricks, including rabona and trivela. However, the end product was often lacking, which is why he failed to excel at big clubs like Barcelona and Inter Milan. His most fruitful seasons came at Porto and Besiktas.
Quaresma is now 38 years old. Having won the Champions League, Euros and numerous domestic titles in Italy and Portugal, he has definitely had an illustrious career. Despite being a Portuguese cult hero, he is, however, a forgotten entity at Stamford Bridge.
