Top 3 Transfer Blunders By Chelsea In Recent Times
Antonio Conte may have managed to win the Premier League in his first season at the club, but the squad at the Stamford Bridge is surely struggling at the moment. With the lack of depth in more than one position, Conte is desperate for some additions in the transfer market but the club’s transfer decisions in the last few years will surely be under scrutiny if they fail to fulfil their goals, come the end of the season.
With a bizarre loan structure, Chelsea have made a number of mistakes in the past, which are already haunting them but what have been their biggest blunders? Here are three of the most embarrassing transfer decisions taken by the club in the last few years:
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Easily the biggest mistake the club has made in recent times was to sell the Belgian playmaker to Wolfsburg back in 2014. De Bruyne, currently the most productive playmaker in the Premier League, made just three appearances for Chelsea before being sold. Ever since, he has scored 35 goals, picking up 62 assists in around 140 appearances, only growing better by the game. He is one player who could have turned Chelsea into world beaters, but the club’s transfer decisions now see him making headlines at the Etihad.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Another player Chelsea should never have sold is Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah. The most productive summer signing at the moment in all over Europe with 12 goals already this season, the 25-year old made just 13 appearances for Chelsea before being sold to AS Roma on a permanent basis at the start of the previous season. He picked up 19 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season in Italy and has only become better, coming back to England with Liverpool. He could have solved a current problem at the Bridge of the lack of variety on the wings, making his sale one of the worst transfer decisions by the Blues in recent times.
Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
Finally, the sale of Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid earlier this season is easily the most bizarre transfer decision by Chelsea this year. The Spaniard scored 54 goals and picked up 28 assists in three years at the club, helping them to two league titles. He established himself as one of the most productive strikers in England before a rift with manager Antonio Conte saw him be shipped back to the Madrid capital. He has been replaced and replaced well by Alvaro Morata but Costa remains one of the best strikers in Europe and even today, in every game, there is atleast one instance when his absence will be rued by every Chelsea fan.
Stat credit: Whoscored.com