'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea have been one of the most active clubs in the transfer market ever since Roman Abramovich took over the team in 2003. The Blues have become a powerhouse and are one of the most feared teams in the Premier League, thanks to a number of world-class talent at their disposal.
The likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech and Eden Hazard have plied their trade at Chelsea to become superstars during their time at the club.
Not all players enjoyed similar success after joining Chelsea
While the aforementioned players were able to replicate their success at Stamford Bridge, a few were not so lucky. These players arrived at the club with lofty reputations only to see themselves fail on the pitch for the Blues. They did not enjoy their time at the club and would surely rue putting pen-to-paper on the move to Stamford Bridge.
Here we take a look at five such players who regret joining Chelsea:
#5 Deco
Deco arrived at Chelsea with a big reputation in 2008 from FC Barcelona. The little Portuguese maestro cost Chelsea just £8 million, which was considered a bargain for a player of his quality. Deco won the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and with Barcelona in 2006. He even finished as a runner-up in the 2004 Ballon d'Or race, behind Andriy Shevchenko.
Deco started his Chelsea career with a bang, scoring a screamer on his debut and winning the Premier League Player of the Month award at the first try.
But the Portuguese was unable to maintain his form and reach the same heights that he achieved at Porto and Barcelona. Injuries have also plagued him throughout his time in England. Deco left the club in 2010 after playing just 42 games and scoring five goals. He joined Fluminese on a free transfer.
Considering Deco's legendary status at Porto and Barcelona, he would have definitely regretted joining Chelsea after his poor spell at the club.
#4 Tiemoue Bakayoko
Part of the famous Monaco team that overthrew Paris Saint-Germain to become Ligue 1 champions, Tiemoue Bakayoko arrived at Chelsea with a lofty reputation. Chelsea splashed out £40 million for the midfielder in the hope that he would form a strong partnership with N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park.
However, after a series of poor performances in his debut season, he was sent on to loan to AC Milan for the 2018-19 campaign. Chelsea then switched managers from Antonio Conte to Maurizio Sarri and Bakayoko was simply not going to be a part of the latter's plans.
The Frenchman was impressive at Milan but the Rossoneri decided against making the switch permanent due to Chelsea's asking price. He spent the next two seasons on loan at his former club Monaco and with Serie A giants Napoli.
Bakayoko has re-joined AC Milan this summer on a two-year loan deal with an option to buy. He will definitely be hoping to put in impressive performances so that the Rossoneri can activate his clause and end his Chelsea nightmare.
#3 Chris Sutton
In the mid to late 1990s, Chelsea played some of the best football in the Premier League. However, they were often criticized for lacking the mental and physical strength needed to win the title.
Chris Sutton's signing in 1999 for £10 million was intended to provide Chelsea with that final push to go and seal the title. The Englishman arrived at the club after scoring 50 goals in 131 games for Blackburn Rovers. The Blues opted to take advantage of Blackburn's relegation by snatching their top player, albeit for a club-record fee at the time.
But Sutton never got going in west London and managed to score just one goal in 28 Premier League games for the Blues. Two goals in a European tie with Skonto Riga followed, but ultimately his career never took off at Chelsea, with the Englishman departing after just one season at the club.
Sutton joined Celtic after departing Stamford Bridge in 2000. Now working as a pundit, Sutton has even admitted that he has had years of trying to get away from his time at Chelsea.
#2 Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata arrived at Stamford Bridge with a lofty reputation from Real Madrid. Signed on for a then-club record fee of £60 million, Chelsea thought they had struck a bargain deal for Europe's next goalscoring machine. Morata even drew comparisons to prime Fernando Torres and started his Chelsea career in brilliant fashion, scoring 10 goals in his first nine games.
But Morata quickly went off the boil, dropping to the bench and finishing his debut campaign with 15 goals in 48 appearances. He could not find his form under both Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri, who signed new strikers during their reign.
The Spaniard scored just 24 times in 72 appearances for the Blues before he was shipped out on loan to Atletico Madrid in 2019. Atletico made the transfer permanent the following season, enabling Chelsea to recoup nearly the entire sum they spent on him.
Morata is currently on loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard has impressed in bits and parts but has not been able to perform consistently since departing Chelsea
#1 Andriy Shevchenko
During the early 2000s, Andriy Shevchenko was arguably the best forward in the game. He ran riot against some of the best defenses in Europe and very few were better than the crafty Ukrainian.
He was a star at AC Milan, scoring 172 times for them in just seven seasons while also clinching the 2004 Ballon d'Or.
Chelsea signed the striker in 2006 for a club-record fee of £30.8 million in the hope that the Ukrainian can work his magic at Stamford Bridge.
But the striker failed miserably at Chelsea, showing everybody that he was past his prime. He managed to score just 27 goals in 77 games and was marred with injuries for most of his time at Stamford Bridge.
He finally left for Milan on loan in 2008 but had a really unsuccessful spell, scoring zero goals in 18 Serie A games. As such, the Ukrainian was sold to Dynamo Kiev in 2009, where he finished his career after three seasons.
