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Roman Abramovich's era at Chelsea has seen some of the finest midfielders in club football history wear the Chelsea blue. Notable examples include all-time top scorer Frank Lampard, the magnificent Michael Ballack, the excellent Michael Essien and modern superstars N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. These names prove that Chelsea have always had marquee talents in midfield.
Some ambitious signings in midfield, however, were complete disasters. These players failed due to a number of reasons. A few where an uncomfortable fit in a tactical system while others lacked the technical ability to match the pace of the Premier League. Some players were just overexpensive purchases made by the club amidst the hype.
Keeping those factors in mind, here are five of the worst midfield signings Chelsea have made under Roman Abramovich's reign:
#5 Juan Sebastian Veron
Juan Sebastian Veron was amongst the top talents in Serie A in the late 90s. He played a starring role for the likes of Parma and Lazio as a creative attacking midfielder.
Veron's performances were so distinguished that he found himself on the prestigious "FIFA 100" list for the 20th century. He was selected alongside the likes of the late Diego Maradona. It was this player that Manchester United splurged a £28 million transfer fee on, only to see Veron falter and stutter at Old Trafford.
He was soon deemed excess to United's needs and Chelsea came in with a £14 million fee, nearly half of what Manchester United paid. Unfortunately a change in environment was hardly conducive to success. Veron featured in just seven league appearances, though he did score a winner against Liverpool in that time.
Multiple injuries and a lack of form and confidence meant Veron was reduced to a shadow of his former self, as the gamble to bring him to Chelsea failed. The Argentine was promptly packed off on loan to Inter Milan. He spent two more successful seasons in a familiar environment, before going back home to Argentina with Estudiantes.
#4 Shaun Wright-Phillips
Recognized as a prodigious talent, Manchester City snapped up Shaun Wright-Phillips as a teenager where he enthralled fans with his speed and wing play.
Wright-Phillips was an established England international by the time Chelsea came calling with a £21 million offer in 2005, when he was aged just 23. The Englishman was a fan favorite under Jose Mourinho, but never got a prolonged run in the first-choice winger slot.
A three-year career with over 125 appearances, as well as Premier League and FA Cup winners' medals, is hard to designate as a failure. But there lingers a constant feeling that Wright-Phillips never reached his potential and was a goal shy attacker.
Playing under Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, Wright-Phillips was always competing to prove his worth at club level. This ultimately compromised his England international status.
In 2008, Wright-Phillips moved back to Manchester City for just a third of his initial transfer fee. He spent three more seasons under the new Abu Dhabi-based ownership before playing for Queens Park Rangers. Wright-Phillips then called time on his career after a spell in the United States with the New York Red Bulls.
#3 Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun was signed by Chelsea after impressing for West Ham United and Liverpool. Benayoun was a versatile midfielder, capable of serving in more than three positions. One of Israel's greatest footballers, he scored 29 goals in 134 appearances for Liverpool before joining the Blues for £5.5 million.
In just a single season at Chelsea, Benayoun chalked up just two assists and a goal in 24 matches. He was a far cry from the creative player under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool who even registered a Champions League hat-trick.
Wearing the number 10 for Chelsea, which he soon gave up to Juan Mata, Bennayoun was sidelined as a utility player. He even went out on loan to arch-rivals Arsenal.
After leaving Stamford Bridge, he went on to play for West Ham and Queens Park Rangers.
#2 Tiemoue Bakayoko
Tiemoue Bakayoko was heraled by many as an exciting talent and was compared to box-to-box greats such as Patrick Viera and Yaya Toure. Bakayoko burst onto the scene as a part of Monaco's now cult status team of 2016-17 alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva.
Eyed as a replacement for Nemanja Matic, he arrived at Chelsea for a £40 million fee. Bakayoko started well under Antonio Conte but was quickly at the heart of Chelsea's disastrous collapse in the season after they won the Premier League title. His awful performance and red card in under 30 minutes during a defeat against Watford in particular caused great resentment amongst fans.
After two consecutive poor seasons at Stamford Bridge, he was dispatched out on loan to Italy. Bakayoko had spells with AC Milan, Monaco, Napoli and AC Milan once again, while still being on Chelsea's books. Earlier this summer, he joined the Rossoneri on a permanent deal.
#1 Danny Drinkwater
This was a bizarre transfer particularly for the almost ridiculous £35 million fee. But it's also weird because Chelsea didn't really need Danny Drinkwater. They had already signed his more effective former midfield companion, N'Golo Kante, the previous summer.
Drinkwater arrived on the back of Antonio Conte's tumultuous season defending Chelsea's Premier League crown. He looked very much out of his depth in a midfield that had the likes of Cesc Fabregas as an alternative. Understandably, Drinkwater was quickly relegated to the reserves.
An expensive mistake, the former Leicester City man found himself a reluctant part of Chelsea's "loan army." He has been loaned out to the likes of Burnley, Aston Villa and Kasimpasa, and is currently at Reading.
Drinkwater quite often found himself in no man's land with Chelsea's reserve team too. He made headlines last year when he was handed a straight red after a bust up in a U-23 game. The only real high point for Drinkwater with Chelsea was his first goal, which was a screamer against Stoke City.
