'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Kepa Arrizabalaga
It might seem incredibly harsh to put down a player who is still on Chelsea's books as a flop. But there's no doubting, bar a miraculous turnaround, that Kepa Arrizabalaga will go down as an expensive flop.
Signed for a ludicrous £72 million fee in 2018 from Athletic Bilbao, Kepa arrived with immense expectations of being the costliest goalkeeper in world football. He was signed as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois.
After a moderately promising start, it became apparent that the acrobatic shotstopper had many shortcomings. These were mainly in his shot-stopping ability and command over his box. Many frustrating performances ensued, not at the very least a public defiance of Maurizio Sarri when he refused to be substituted.
After consistently being dropped, and with Eduoard Mendy's excellent form after his surprise signing, Kepa has been relegated to the bench. The starting spot has slipped away from his reach. He had a redemptive game when he won the UEFA Super Cup for Chelsea. He came off the bench to perform penalty heroics, however it would take far more to come close to justifying his fee.
#2 Andriy Shevchenko
The signing of Andriy Shevchenko is one of the most infamous transfers in Chelsea history. That signing arguably cost Jose Mourinho his job and damaged the relationship between him and Roman Abramovich.
The former Balon d'Or winner was a world class superstar at AC Milan. He scored 176 goals, and was a prolific goalscorer in both Italy and Ukraine.
As much as his reputation motivated the move, Schevchenko was also a close friend of Abramovich. He was signed for a world record £30.8 million fee, and was every bit of a luxury signing, adding to Chelsea's already top-heavy squad.
Squabbles with Jose Mourinho and very public fallouts meant a return of just nine goals in 48 Premier League appearances. He was a shadow of the lethal forward that once was.
Schevchenko was acrimoniously left out of matchday squads, leading to his departure (first on loan) to AC Milan. He then moved permanently to his boyhood club, Dynamo Kyiv, where he retired in 2012.
#1 Fernando Torres
The definition of a disaster signing, Fernando Torres, was signed by Chelsea in January 2011 for a jaw dropping £50 million pound fee.
For Liverpool, the free-flowing Spanish forward was a devastatingly fast and nippy forward with a lethal eye for goal. He almost singlehandedly dragged Liverpool to compete for the 2009 Premier League title.
A combination of knee injuries and poor form meant Torres had a dip in form when a surprise bid from Chelsea came through for Liverpool's benefit.
It is hard to categorize a player who won the Europa League and Champions League as a flop. But his ability and influence on the pitch was very clearly weakened with sensational misses, a lack of confidence and fragile forward play.
With the sheer amount of the transfer fee weighing heavy since his first day at Stamford Bridge, Torres could not recapture the form he showed at Liverpool and earlier Atletico Madrid. He went on to spend close to five seasons at Chelsea, scoring 45 goals in 172 appearances before returning home to Atletico Madrid
