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Since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, Chelsea have become of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Unlike a number of Europe's big clubs, Chelsea have never been renowned for their young academy players graduating to the first team. The Blues have always been a financial powerhouse who have splashed big on the best players and managers to create super teams challenging for the biggest trophies.
Five players whose careers dipped after arriving at Chelsea:
Chelsea have signed a plethora of quality players over the years. The likes of Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole and Juan Mata have helped the club win multiple domestic and European honours over the years.
However, as is the case with most teams, not all of Chelsea's signings have struck gold, failing to do so for various reasons. On that note, let's take a look at five players whose careers nosedived after arriving at Chelsea.
#5 Danny Drinkwater
Danny Drinkwater's stock rose massively after he played a key role in Leicester City's improbable Premier League triumph in 2015-16.
Chelsea moved quickly to pair Drinkwater with his former Leicester City teammate N'Golo Kante in the base of their midfield, signing the Englishman for £35 million in 2017.
However, Drinkwater struggled to break into the Chelsea starting line-up and has been ravaged by injuries during his four seasons at the club. He joined Premier League clubs Burnley and Aston Villa on loan deals but has been unable to revive his career.
Danny Drinkwater is still in contract with Chelsea. He is currently on loan at Turkish club Kasimpasa till the end of the season.
#4 Mateja Kezman
Mateja Kezman is one of the forgotten signings of the Roman Abramovich era. The Serb joined Chelsea after four prolific seasons with PSV Eindhoven, for whom he scored 129 goals in 176 appearances.
Kezman joined Chelsea in 2004 on a £5.3 million transfer and was one of Jose Mourinho's first signings for the club. However, the player struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League, scoring just seven times in 41 appearances for Chelsea during his solitary season with the club.
Mateja Kezman moved to Atletico Madrid the next season but was unable to rediscover his scoring touch. He spent the last nine years of his career at six different clubs before retiring in 2012.
#3 Andriy Shevchenko
When Andriy Shevchenko joined Chelsea in 2006, he was widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe.
Shevchenko had spent seven years at AC Milan, scoring 173 goals in 296 appearances. The Ukrainian led AC Milan to a Serie title and a Champions League triumph during his seven seasons with the club. He also won the 2004 Ballon D'or award.
However, Shevchenko struggled to settle at Chelsea, netting only 22 goals in 77 appearances. He returned to AC Milan on loan for the 2008-09 season before he was permanently sold to Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.
Shevchenko is often regarded as one of Chelsea's worst ever signings.
#2 Kepa Arrizabalaga
He is still a Chelsea player and has the opportunity to turn things around. But Kepa Arrizabalaga makes this list due to his largely underwhelming performances since arriving at the club in 2018.
Chelsea signed Arizzabalaga from Athletic Bilbao in a deal worth £70 million, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in history. However, the Spaniard has struggled to make a mark at Chelsea, making a lot of high-profile errors, which has seen him linked with an exit from the club.
His poor performances resulted in Chelsea signing Edouard Mendy last summer. Kepa Arrizabalaga is mostly being used in Cup competitions by manager Thomas Tuchel.
#1 Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool in January of 2010 but endured an alarming dip in form. The Spaniard was one of the most feared strikers in Europe before he joined the Blues in a £50 million deal.
However, in his first half-season at Chelsea, he scored only once in 18 games. Torres lack of confidence was such that he had an unbelievable miss against Manchester United at Old Trafford. But most club faithful still remember him for scoring the winner at Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2011-12 Champions League.
He scored 81 goals in 142 appearances for Liverpool but managed to net only 45 in 172 games for Chelsea. Torres later played for Atletico Madrid and Sagan Tosu before retiring in 2019.
