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Ever since the Roman Abramovich reign began at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have been one of the most dominant clubs in the transfer market. The Blues have heavily invested in their first-team, signing numerous players on multiple occasions.
They have broken some transfer records, in pursuit of their high-profile signings. The Blues have also made notable signings from their direct rivals (the other clubs in the Premier League's top six) in recent years.
Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole, Olivier Giroud, Yossi Benayoun and most recently Raheem Sterling are classic examples of Chelsea's purchases from the top six.
Aside from doing transfer business with the big clubs in England, Chelsea have also signed a couple of highly-rated players from other teams in the Premier League.
For clarity purposes, the big-six in England comprise Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea themselves.
As such, this article will take a look at the five best Chelsea signings made by the Blues from Premier League teams aside outside the top six.
#5 Demba Ba (Newcastle United)
One notable transfer Chelsea secured from teams outside the big-six in England was that of Demba Ba from Newcastle United in 2013. The Senegalese veteran made the switch to Stamford Bridge on January 4, 2013 for a fee in the region of £7 million.
Ba had the perfect start to life at Chelsea and scored three goals in his first two games at the club. His first brace came against Southampton in the FA Cup and he also scored against the Saints on his home debut.
Ba went on to spend one-and-a-half seasons with the Blues, where he was mainly used as a second-choice striker behind Torres.
Before departing for Besiktas in the summer of 2014, Ba ended his spell in West London with a combined total of 14 goals and five assists. He also played a total of 51 games in all competitions for the Blues.
#4 Ben Chilwell
Another top player Chelsea have signed from Premier League clubs outside the big-six in recent years is Ben Chilwell.
The Blues secured the services of the English left-back from Leicester City in the summer of 2020 for a fee in the region of £50 million.
At the time of his arrival, Chiwell was regarded as one of the most promising left-backs in the league. He immediately became the club's first-choice in the position, displacing Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso.
Chilwell has so far helped the Blues win three major trophies at Chelsea, namely the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
The 25-year-old defender has already made 56 appearances for the West London club in all competitions. He has also scored seven goals and provided nine assists for the Blues.
#3 Victor Moses (Wigan)
Chelsea secured the services of highly rated Nigerian winger Victor Moses in the summer of 2012. The transfer fee was in the region of £9 million from Wigan.
Moses was one of the new faces brought in by Italian tactician Roberto Di Matteo, who was the then manager of the West London club.
He went on to spend a total of nine seasons with the Blues before eventually leaving on a permanent transfer to Spartak Moscow. The Russian club secured his services for a fee in the region of £4 million.
Moses' best spell at Chelsea came during the era of Antonio Conte, who converted the Nigerian to a wing-back. He was an integral member of the team that won the 2016-17 Premier League title for the Blues.
He made a combined total of 128 appearances for the West London club across all competitions, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists.
#2 N'Golo Kante (Leciester City)
Arguably one of Chelsea's best signings in the club's history has to be the transfer of French midfielder N'Golo Kante from Leicester City.
The Blues secured the services of Kante for a fee in the region of £32 million in the summer of 2016. He was a key member of the Leicester City team that defiled all odds and won the 2015-16 league title.
Kante became an instant hit as he also played a key role in helping Conte's team secure the 2016-17 Premier League trophy. This made it back-to-back league wins for the French midfielder with two separate clubs.
He has also gone on to with five other trophies with the Blues, which includes the prestigious UEFA Champions trophy in 2021.
Kante has so far made a combined total of 262 appearances for the Blues in all competitions. He has also scored 13 goals and provided 15 assists.
#1 Gary Cahill
Another top signing done by the Blues in recent years from clubs outside the top-six is English defender Gary Cahill. He ranks top among some of the best defenders in Chelsea's history.
The West London club secured the services of Cahill from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012 for a fee in the region of £7 million.
He became a key member of the club's defensive set-up, forming strong partnerships with the likes of John Terry and David Luiz.
Cahill also rose to the position of club captain after Terry's departure in 2017. He also previously served as vice-captain to the Blues legend.
He scored an impressive total of 25 goals during his time with the Blues and provided seven assists. Cahill also played a combined total of 290 appearances for the West London club across all competitions.
