5 top strikers who failed at Chelsea

Bhargav
Fernando Torres is one of several high-profile strikers who failed at Chelsea.
Fernando Torres is one of several high-profile strikers who failed at Chelsea.

Chelsea have become a force to be reckoned with, especially after the arrival of their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich in the early 2000s.

The Blues have grown in stature and pedigree by making a spate of high-profile signings over the years. The likes of Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard, to name a few, have become legends at the club.

However, not all big-name players, especially strikers, have hit gold at the club. On that note, here's a look at five high-profile strikers who failed to get going at Chelsea:


#5 Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres largely failed to get going at Chelsea.
Fernando Torres largely failed to get going at Chelsea.

It would be a tad harsh to term Fernando Torres a failure at Chelsea. But it is true that the striker largely failed to replicate his Liverpool heroics at Stamford Bridge.

A return of just 45 goals in 180 games is considered underwhelming for someone who tallied almost a goal every two games at Liverpool. Nevertheless, Torres did endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful by scoring against Barcelona at Camp Nou in the 2012 Champions League semis.

The Spaniard ran unopposed before slotting past Victor Valdes to confirm Chelsea's place in their second Champions League final in four years.

A few days later, Chelsea would win their first title in the competition, beating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout.


#4 Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata struggled at Chelsea.
Alvaro Morata struggled at Chelsea.

Alvaro Morata had made his name as a prolific striker at Atletico, and that prompted Chelsea to shell out the big bucks to land his services.

He made a decent start to life at Chelsea, scoring on his Premier League and Champions League debut for the club. A hat-trick against Stoke City meant Morata had six goals in as many league games. But things soon started to go south for Morata, as he scored just five more times in his next 25 league games, owing to a combination of poor form and injuries.

In reality, Morata struggled to come to terms with the physicality and pace of the Premier League. The striker did score the goal that confirmed Chelsea's place in the knockout round of the 2018-19 Europa League. But that was as good as things got for Morata as he didn't play any further part in Chelsea's triumphant campaign that season.

Morata left Chelsea at the end of the season. He is now at Serie A giants Juventus, on loan from Atletico Madrid.

#3 Gonzalo Higuain

Gonzalo Higuain largely failed to get going at Chelsea.
Gonzalo Higuain largely failed to get going at Chelsea.

Gonzalo Higuain largely had a forgettable stint at Chelsea, despite making his name as a world-class striker in Spain and Italy.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup finalist arrived at Stamford Bridge with much fanfare in early 2019. The then Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri, who had managed Higuain at Napoli, waxed lyrical about the striker's attributes and experience.

However, as things turned out, Higuain, who scored a brace on his home debut, would score only three more times in his next 13 league games. He failed to open his account in three other competitions he played for the club.

Eventually, the Argentine's forgettable stint in England didn't continue beyond the summer, as both Sarri and Higuain returned to Italy.


#2 Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao cut a sorry figure at Chelsea.
Radamel Falcao cut a sorry figure at Chelsea.

Radamel Falcao was one of the most prolific scorers during his heydays. But he struggled to get going in the Premier League, first at Manchester United and then at Chelsea.

Falcao scored just four times in 30 games at United, and was a far cry from the master goal poacher he was at his previous clubs. So it was surprising to see Chelsea sign the struggling goalscorer in the summer of 2015.

As things predictably turned out, Falcao fared even worse at Chelsea than he did at United. During an injury-plagued 2015-16 campaign, he scored just once in 12 games before returning to PSG.

More recently, the 35-year-old scored 20 times in his last two seasons at Galatasaray, and now plies his trade with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.


#1 Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Shevchenko was a pale shadow of his illustrious self at Chelsea.
Andriy Shevchenko was a pale shadow of his illustrious self at Chelsea.

Andriy Shevchenko was one of the most prolific scorers in the game during the early 2000s. The 2004 Ballon d'Or winner scored 175 goals in seven prolific seasons at Milan.

However, Shevchenko was almost 30 when Chelsea splurged £30.8 million to land him in the summer of 2006. The Ukrainian striker was apparently signed against the wishes of the Blues' then-manager, Jose Mourinho.

As things turned out, the Serie A winner was a pale shadow of his illustrious self, struggling to replicate his Milan heroics at Stamford Bridge. He scored just 14 times in 51 games in his first season at Chelsea.

Shevchenko would score only eight more times in 26 games at the club before he returned to Milan. That makes the Ukrainian one of Chelsea's most expensive flops of all time.

Quick Links

Edited by Prem Deshpande