Despite being among the wealthiest teams in the Premier League’s history, Chelsea has occasionally made several poor transfer market choices.
The club has never been afraid to flex its financial muscle to sway players’ decisions to join or leave when they believe it is not working, whether under Roman Abramovich or Todd Boehly.
But not every decision pays off. We have highlighted four high-profile players who didn’t do well at Stamford Bridge but did well elsewhere.
Nathan Ake
Although Ake played for Chelsea for five years, he only appeared in seven Premier League games throughout that period.
After spending time on loan at Reading, Watford, and Bournemouth, the defender was traded for £20 million in the summer of 2017 to join the Cherries. He has since demonstrated his class at the highest level.
Under Eddie Howe, Ake made 121 appearances in three seasons, tallying 11 goals. He left for Manchester City in 2020 when the south coast team was demoted.
The Netherlands international played a significant role in their treble-winning season last year and wrapped his debut season at the Etihad with Premier League and League Cup winner’s trophies. You can bet on Manchester City to retain the English Premier League with the likes of Ake at the heart of their defence.
Kevin De Bruyne
It’s hard to believe De Bruyne was considered a misfit for Chelsea when he would perhaps pass as the world’s finest midfielder at the moment.
The Manchester City star joined Chelsea from Genk in 2011–12, and appeared in just two Premier League games for the Blues. He moved to Werder Bremen on loan before signing for Wolfsburg for £16.7 million.
De Bruyne’s class showed in the Bundesliga, and his career took off. In 2015, he signed with current employers City on a £55 million deal. You all know what happened next. If he remains fit, City remain strong Betway favourites to do well both domestically and in Europe.
Romelu Lukaku
The Anderlecht striker cost Chelsea £17 million in 2011, but he could only manage 10 Premier League starts. However, his two loan spells at West Brom and Everton announced his arrival in the EPL. In 2014, he made the permanent move to the Toffees, and three years later, he joined Manchester United.
He scored 96 goals in the Premier League over two stints before moving to Italian giants Inter Milan in 2019. He scored 64 more goals for Inter, helping them to their first Scudetto in over ten years.
After a club record £100 million was spent to get him back to the Bridge, Lukaku failed once more. He is now banging goals for AS Roma under former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
Mo Salah
Salah moved from Basel to Chelsea in 2014, but could only make 13 league appearances, scoring twice. The Egyptian spent 2015 and 2016 on loan at Fiorentina and Roma before moving permanently to the latter in a deal estimated to be worth £11 million.
Salah returned to the Premier League in a £36.7 million deal with surprise bidders Liverpool after just one season in the Italian city. He smashed the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season during his first season at the Reds.
He delivered the Champions League in his second season, and fired the Reds to the Premier League title in his third. Salah is already on 9 goal involvements in the league alone so far this season, and you can bet on him with Betway to finish as Liverpool’s topscorer again this season.
