5 players whose careers went downhill at Chelsea

#5 Fernando Torres

Torres’ move to Chelsea didn’t go as planned

One common theme in this list is the fact that most of the names mentioned here are strikers. For some reason, Stamford Bridge seems to hold a curse for forwards, becoming a graveyard for most that made their way there. With the exception of Didier Drogba and now Diego Costa, not many have found success as a striker at Chelsea in the recent past.

Fernando Torres was no exception. Once the most expensive British transfer in history, he transferred to Chelsea from Liverpool for an eye-watering £50m in January 2011.

His list of achievements certainly warranted such a fee, with the Spanish hitman on fire for Liverpool, scoring 81 goals in just 142 appearances. He had also won the European Championships with Spain and was named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI twice, in 2008 and 2009.

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Considering that he went on to win an FA Cup, a Champions League and a Europa League with Chelsea, it seems that it would be a bit harsh to criticise his move, but his stats say otherwise. The Spaniard scored only 45 goals in 172 appearances for the Blues, a far cry from the potential he showed at Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

His move to Chelsea seemed to coincide with the loss of the explosive pace that had made him such a feared forward, with a distinct lack of goals frustrating both managers and fans alike.

He was eventually sent out on loan to AC Milan and after a pretty poor first half of the season, which saw him score only one goal, he was sent out to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid.