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In the 21st century, in the trophy-laden but rocky Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea have become notorious as a club known for letting players go too early, or wrongly leave.
Even as recently as last month, Michy Batshuayi departed on loan to Borussia Dortmund after being deemed surplus to requirements, but it never seemed like the Belgian forward got a fair chance under manager Antonio Conte.
As if to prove this, he has scored 5 goals in his first 3 games in German football, providing 2 assists along the way and the man who replaced him, Olivier Giroud, hasn't started greatly for Chelsea and is yet to score even though he assisted Hazard's opener against West Brom.
Giroud is also a similar player to Chelsea' current starting striker Alvaro Morata, both towering, physical presences up top. So it really does look like an oversight on Conte's part to let the fleet-footed and energetic Batshuayi leave.
He scored 2 goals in the Europa League last night and if he continues this form up, Conte will be left looking very foolish indeed.
This has been a pattern at Chelsea for many seasons, especially under Jose Mourinho's 2nd reign at Stamford Bridge: good players seemingly not offered an opportunity truly showcase their ability, carted off towards a lesser club only for their talents finally be recognized before they earn a move to a bigger rival club.
It borders on the farcical, but a very strong starting 11 can be made out of Chelsea's discarded footballers and this slideshow details this XI.
Formation- 4-3-3
Goalkeeper - Petr Cech
The hardest position to pick, Cech was 33 by the time he left the club and had been ousted as first-choice by the much younger Thibaut Courtois. What was not forgivable, however, was that the Czech was allowed to leave to one of Chelsea's biggest rivals, Arsenal.
The goalkeeping position had been a problematic one for their London foes for many years and hence, giving them Cech was a direct strengthening of their starting side.
He would end up keeping a clean sheet in the 2015 Community Shield against his old club as Arsenal triumphed 1-0, seemingly an indicator of positive things to come. By the season's end, Cech had kept the joint-most clean sheets (16 with David de Gea) and Arsenal had qualified for the Champions League with Chelsea lagging far behind in the table.
While Courtois hasn't performed badly in his place and was a great goalkeeper for them, there's just no denying that Cech was a benefit to Arsenal's success during that season, one of the greatest goalkeepers in EPL history showing why he has this title.
Defense
Right-back - Glen Johnson
It seems incredible that a player who won 51 caps for his country would ever be allowed to leave a top club but this is exactly what happened to Johnson. Admittedly, he won most of these after his time at Chelsea, but it's a sign of just how good the right-back was.
He made 41 league appearances between 2003 and 2008 but his path to the first team was blocked by Mourinho's Portuguese compatriot Paulo Ferreira. While he was a competent performer and perhaps a better defender than Johnson, as he got older and tired, Johnson's dynamism and athleticism at right-back would have been very welcome.
He made enough appearances to receive a league winners' medal in 2005 but a few years later, he departed for Portsmouth, after spending a good season on loan with them. For over a decade now, Johnson has been a fixture for his clubs and country in his position, including making over 150 league appearances for Liverpool.
He may be on the decline now, but Chelsea struggled at right-back with the erratic and bewildering Bosingwa when Ferreira declined and one can't doubt that Johnson would have been a far better option.
Centre-back - Ricardo Carvalho
Another departure similar to Cech in that he had served Chelsea extremely well and left them in his later footballing years, Carvalho's subsequent performances proved that he still had much to offer.
At 32, Carvalho rejoined his old Chelsea and Porto manager Mourinho at Real Madrid and was an ever-present in the central defender's role for the Spanish side as Mourinho's calming lieutenant at the back.
It's often said that centre-backs can play on the top level much older than, say, attacking players who have tired themselves out by then, and in truth, Carvalho was never a defender who relied on pace and athleticism anyway.
His game was all about his amazing reading of the play, and his world-class movement and positioning. These were all attributes that never left his game and, after 3 seasons at Madrid, Carvalho would enjoy another 3 effective years in France with Monaco.
While he might not have started each week at Chelsea during those campaigns, his experience and defensive wisdom would have been invaluable in the lean years before Mourinho's return to the club in 2013.
Centre-back - Nathan Ake
For a long time, many said Ake would be the first youth player to make the first team since club captain and legend John Terry did so in 1998. He was confident, classy in possession yet strong in the air; Ake played like David Luiz without the tendency of making needless errors.
He spent 2015/2016 on loan at Watford and won their young player of the year award, despite being deployed out of his natural position at left-back for much of the campaign with his outstanding work-rate and tireless effort allowing him to play well there.
Ake again found himself shipped out on loan in the following seasons, this time to Bournemouth, but was recalled January by Conte due to his excellent performances both in defence and the midfield for his loan side.
It seemed like a sign of approval from his manager, a mark of trust, and indeed Ake played in 3 rounds of the FA Cup as Chelsea made it to the final. His game time got curtailed after this and Conte then allowed him to rejoin Bournemouth for a club record fee of £20 million.
Again the player has impressed for his new club and even at 22, he seems capable of performing in the EPL for many years. Ake has 5 caps for his national team the Netherlands and should definitely feel aggrieved that he didn't get more of a chance at his former club.
Gary Cahill has been a dependable servant for Chelsea in recent seasons but he is quickly slowing down now and Ake certainly would have provided a better option, even from the substitutes bench, than Cahill.
Left-back - Filipe Luis
Luis's time in English football seemed to flash by without many noticing which is remarkable considering his talent. He was signed after being a part of Atletico Madrid's historic La Liga title triumph in 2014.
Luis would leave after only the one season an EPL winner, but played only 15 times in the league, a disappointing return. Typical of a Mourinho team, the manager favoured the more defensive-minded Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back for most of the season, despite the Spaniard being a centre-back by trade.
Chelsea did indeed have a miserly defence and were difficult to break down, but there was no dynamism or the incessant running that Luis could have offered on the left side of the pitch; it was sadly a negative footballing move that was not surprising from Mourinho at all.
Luis decided to return to Atletico in 2015 and has been his usual self for the club since. As his former employers struggled after winning the league, Luis was a major catalyst for Atletico making it to the Champions League final in 2016, only agonizingly losing out to rivals Real Madrid.
There are few better defenders at dribbling with the ball and contributing to their teams' attacking play, and EPL fans should feel unlucky that they didn't get to witness Luis' exciting ability on a more regular basis.
Midfield
Right-defensive midfield - Oriel Romeu
The Spaniard arrived from Barcelona with a good reputation - as most do from that club - and when he signed for Chelsea, they were sure to include a buy-back option in the player's contract. He played his small part in the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons before he was cruelly struck down by a serious injury that kept him out for the rest of that season.
This undeniably slowed down his progress and after 2 decent loan years with Valencia and Stuttgart respectively, Romeu was transferred to Southampton for just £5 million.
In his 3 seasons there so far, he has been the solid, powerful base in the defensive midfield that has seen his new club punch above their weight in the EPL. The fans recognized him as the club's player of the year last season, and Romeu has begun to see his name linked to Arsenal and Everton.
The player is still only 26 and should have his best years ahead of him, and it's a shame that these won't be at Chelsea. The Blues signed Danny Drinkwater in the summer from Leicester and it feels like Romeu's stronger defensive shielding would have been more valuable to Conte's team this campaign.
Left-defensive midfield - Nemanja Matic
An infamous departure from Chelsea this summer, Matic has been compared a lot in the media to the man who replaced him at the club, Tiemoue Bakayoko: while the Serbian has fitted seamlessly into his new surroundings at Old Trafford, Bakayoko has been hailed by many as the worst signing of the Premier League season.
Matic first joined Chelsea in 2009 but managed just 2 league appearances, spending his 2nd season on loan at usual contacts Vitesse Arnhem. A move to Portuguese giants Benfica followed and then Matic won the league title in 2014, scored a goal-of-the-season contender before Chelsea decided they required his services again and purchased the player back in 2014.
It must have felt great for Matic to get another chance to prove himself at the club and he was an absolute rock as Chelsea triumphed in the league in 2015. He was tough in the tackle and dynamic in possession; his performances even led to him being named in the PFA team of the year.
Matic would be pivotal in Chelsea's 2nd league win in 3 years in 2017, with his partnership with N'Golo Kante in the central midfield being virtually impenetrable. His passing range, calmness and his left-foot provided the perfect balance to Frenchman's all-action, feverish displays.
It felt, then, quite harsh when Conte seemed content to allow Matic to join a strong league rival in Manchester United. There was the suggestion that Matic wasn't needed considering how strong defensively Kante was, but that player's subsequent injury and Bakayoko's terrible displays have rendered this argument redundant.
Chelsea hasn't had a bad season by any means, and find themselves only 4 points behind their Manchester foes, but it's not a stretch to say that Matic's talents could have made the difference in that small margin.
Centre-attacking midfield - Kevin De Bruyne
Another masterclass in bad Mourinho policy, De Bruyne has been the best in a very good Manchester City team this season as they romp their way to an almost-guaranteed title win this season.
His manager Pep Guardiola has mentioned his name alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo; the player has 14 assists in league play already and could break Thierry Henry's EPL record of 20 if he continues his good form. For 3 seasons now the Belgian has been playing at a world-class level but his ability was always evident before then.
He signed for Chelsea in 2012 and was immediately farmed out to Werder Bremen for the 2012/2013 season. De Bruyne duly impressed, scoring 10 goals from the midfield at just 22 years of age.
This naturally led to him staying at Stamford Bridge the following season, after being assured of his place by Mourinho and De Bruyne did indeed start the 2013/2014 season in the first team, including the opening game, but his first-team appearances would dry up fast.
The blame has to be laid at Mourinho's door because he played De Bruyne deeper in the midfield, where his natural game wasn't allowed to flourish. His incisive passing, dribbling ability and shooting were shunned in favour of defensive-awareness and shielding by Mourinho and thus the Chelsea fans never got to see him at his true best.
The player returned to Bundesliga, this time with Wolfsburg, and returned to form scoring another 10 goals in the 2014/2015 season. De Bruyne joined Manchester City in 2015 and has arguably been the league's best midfielder ever since.
He's scored goals, provided numerous others for his teammates, and has dominated overall play like few others can do. Chelsea fans can only imagine just how good in attack their team could have been had Eden Hazard got the opportunity to combine with his fellow Belgian for the club.
Forward
Right-wing - Mohamed Salah
Perhaps De Bruyne's only serious challenger for EPL player of the season, Salah has been a revelation since returning to the league with Liverpool. He's fired 30 goals in total in just 36 games. In truth, Salah came nowhere near getting a fair chance during his time at Chelsea.
He was signed from Basel after impressing in the Europe League, even against Chelsea, with his quickness running and trickery a joy to witness. He managed only 13 appearances in 2 seasons at the club, and Mourinho was never going to take a liking to an attacker in the mould of Salah.
The Egyptian took his talents to Italy with Fiorentina and then Roma, with his goals tally increasing each season: after 6 for Fiorentina during his loan spell there, Salah reached double figures in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 in Rome, becoming one of the league's best players.
While he was always an exciting winger, similar to Messi in his style, Salah adding goals to his game has enabled him to reach a higher level and become a stronger all-rounded footballer. Liverpool fans adore him, his fellow Egyptians idolize him, and Chelsea fans could have done so too if Mourinho hadn't wasted the talents of another attacking player.
Centre-forward - Romelu Lukaku
It's become easy to mock this player, but Lukaku has unfairly been turned into a scapegoat for Manchester United's poorer performances this season so far. He swiftly scored 10 goals in his first 9 games, breaking a long-standing record set by Sir Bobby Charlton in the process.
The goals have certainly dried up since then, and Lukaku now only has 12 league goals, but strikers are allowed to have difficult patches.
What can't be denied is that everything is in place for him to be an elite player for many years: Lukaku has such great athleticism, running, and finishing ability, akin to Didier Drogba but with a better scoring record.
He initially exploded onto the scene with Anderlecht aged just 16 and banged in 33 goals before he turned 19. This led to Chelsea securing his services, seeing him as a successor to their club legend Drogba.
In his 2 seasons with them, Lukaku would end up with no goals to show in 15 appearances, a poor record. These were punctuated by a stellar year with West Bromwich Albion, where Lukaku scored 17 league goals.
He moved on loan again, joining Everton, and his 15 league goals convinced them to sign him permanently, for a club record fee of £28 million. He would end his time at Everton with 87 goals in 166 games, just over half a goal-per-game, an excellent rate.
There were talks about Lukaku returning to Chelsea in the summer but Mourinho ultimately won the race to sign him. With the club struggling with new recruit Alvaro Morata up front, perhaps if Lukaku had been given another year to integrate himself at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea could have developed him into their starting forward for many seasons.
Left-wing - Juan Mata
Perhaps the most unfairly treated player of all by Mourinho, Mata was Chelsea's player of the year in 2012/2013, in the PFA team of the year for that season, was a vital part of the team's triumph in the Europa League, and also was the assist leader in the EPL.
The next season, he was dropped from the first team by his new manager, before being shunted off to rivals Manchester United in the January transfer window. He scored 12 in 35 league appearances in 2012/2013 but would appear only 13 times in 2013/2014, a remarkable comedown.
Mourinho stated that Mata didn't offer the defensive ability that he demanded from all of his midfield players and so the player was dropped without a second thought. Mata has been the creative spark at his new club, scoring 10 goals in his 3 full seasons so far.
Many felt his time would be up when Mourinho joined him at Old Trafford last season but to his credit, Mata knuckled down and helped them to a League Cup and Europa League double. He was a popular figure at Chelsea and has proven to be a popular one in Manchester too, and didn't deserve the treatment he received back then.
