5 strange signings Chelsea have made in recent years

roman abramovich reacts
Roman Abramovich has pumped plenty of money into Chelsea

#3 Juan Sebastian Veron

Chelsea manager shows off new signings Joe Cole and Juan Sebastian Veron
Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri shows off new signings Joe Cole and Juan Sebastian Veron

Juan Sebastian Veron was a tremendously gifted player in Italy. In England, however, it all went a bit pear-shaped. Veron arrived as a much-heralded superstar to Manchester United in 2001 for a fee of £24.3 million.

He played 51 times for the Red Devils till 2003. He managed only 7 strikes and many mistakes. He showed very brief glimpses of his ability as he failed to adapt to the English game. However, Claudio Ranieri decided he could see the Veron of old still lurking in the struggling Argentine.

He signed for Chelsea in 2003, for a sizeable £15 million, which even though was a loss for United, represented a sizeable chunk recouped for a signing who failed to make an impact.

Veron traversed through four years at Stamford Bridge, making just 7 league appearances under Ranieri before departing on loan the next season. He returned to Italy with Inter and rediscovered some form but was not consistent.

He was subsequently loaned to Estudientes in Argentina in 2006, and spent the rest of his career in his homeland playing till 2017. Veron recovered his confidence in his homeland and returned to the national team fold, playing the 2010 World Cup for Argentina.

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Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh