Just because Chelsea have spent a fortune on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, it does not mean they do not know how to spot a bargain.
In fact, some of Chelsea‘s best ever signings have been relatively cheap buys.
Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante are a couple of names that come to mind, two players who helped the club to become the champions of England during their time at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea Chronicle has now composed a list of the Blues’ top 10 bargains in the Premier League era!
10. Thibaut Courtois
Signed from: Genk
Transfer fee: £7.9m
Year: 2011
Succeeding Petr Cech in goal should have been a difficult job. But for Thibaut Courtois, that was not the case.
After signing for Chelsea in 2011, Courtois spent a few years at Atletico Madrid on loan before eventually replacing Cech as the Blues’ No.1. At that point, he was already one of the best goalkeepers in the world and helped Chelsea to win the Premier League title in his first season in the first team. Claimed another one two years later before joining Real Madrid.
9. Thiago Silva
Signed from: Paris Saint-Germain
Transfer fee: Free
Year: 2020
Thiago Silva is one of Chelsea’s more recent bargains. Arriving at Chelsea from PSG as a 35-year-old, many had their doubts about him.
A debut to forget against West Bromwich Albion where he made a costly error, those doubts were starting to look justified. But the Brazilian quickly put that behind him and went on to help Chelsea win the Champions League the very same season.
Silva finished his Chelsea career having made 155 appearances. They got so much out of the central defender considering his age.
8. Didier Drogba
Signed from: Marseille
Transfer fee: £24m
Year: 2004
The only reason why Didier Drogba is not listed higher is because his £24m transfer from Marseille made him the most expensive striker in English football at the time.
Of course, that fee now looks like peanuts, with Drogba going on to score 164 goals for Chelsea while winning every major honour during his spell at Stamford Bridge. He even returned to the club in 2014, two years after his heroics in Munich, and won the Premier League title again! One word: legend.
7. Petr Cech
Signed from: Rennes
Transfer fee: £9m
Year: 2004
Arguably an even better goalkeeper than Courtois in his prime, Chelsea paid less than £10m to secure Cech.
Going on to make almost 500 appearances for the Blues while keeping 228 clean sheets, Cech rivals the late Peter Bonetti for the title of best shot-stopper in Chelsea history. Not even a move to Arsenal could tarnish his incredible legacy in west London.
6. N’Golo Kante
Signed from: Leicester City
Transfer fee: £30m
Year: 2016
A bit more expensive than some of the above names, but Kante can still only be considered a bargain after everything he achieved in a Chelsea shirt.
The Frenchman was instrumental in Chelsea’s 2016/17 title success, as well as their Champions League triumph in Porto. Injuries ruined the end of his Chelsea career and had it not been for them, he perhaps could have achieved so much more.
Nevertheless, costing £30m in such an inflated market, signing Kante was incredible business.
5. Cesar Azpilicueta
Signed from: Marseille
Transfer fee: £7m
Year: 2012
Not many Chelsea supporters had heard of Cesar Azpilicueta when he joined the club back in 2012. It was the same year that Hazard and Oscar moved to Stamford Bridge as well, so there was not too much excitement surrounding Azpilicueta’s arrival.
Nine years later, the Spaniard would go on to captain Chelsea to Champions League glory. Azpilicueta played at centre-back the night the Blues won their second Champions League trophy, but he was also used at right-back and left-back during his Chelsea career.
The versatility, the service, everything, Dave was just a great signing who understood the club.
4. Eden Hazard
Signed from: Lille
Transfer fee: £32m
Year: 2012
Hazard is many supporters favourite Chelsea player of all time, and it is not hard to understand why. The majestic winger was so entertaining to watch, but he also had an end product to go with all of his flair.
That was evident to see in the 2018/19 campaign, Hazard’s best season in a Chelsea shirt. He got 16 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League, which helped him to finish his career at Stamford Bridge with well over 150 goal contributions. In terms of talent, other than Gianfranco Zola, no Chelsea player comes close to him.
3. Ashley Cole
Signed from: Arsenal
Transfer fee: £5m and William Gallas
Year: 2006
A controversial transfer but certainly worth the hassle, Ashley Cole is one of the most satisfying transfers Chelsea have ever made.
The Blues snatched Cole, the best left-back in the Premier League, from their London rivals and for just £5m (plus Gallas). To this day, Arsene Wenger must still be fuming!
2. Frank Lampard
Signed from: West Ham United
Transfer fee: £11m
Year: 2001
Costing little over £10m, Frank Lampard is likely to be a lot of Chelsea fans’ top bargain. After all, he is the club’s record goalscorer after netting an incredible 211 times, all from midfield.
English football will not see another midfielder like him. And as good as Caicedo and Fernandez are, Enzo Maresca would kill to have someone like Super Frank in his engine room. A match-winner, a leader and elite passer, something that goes under the radar because of his goalscoring ability, the Blues struck gold when they signed him almost 24 years ago.
1. Michael Ballack
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Transfer fee: Free
Year: 2006
Perhaps controversial, as Michael Ballack did not possess the same eye for goal that Lampard did nor the technical skill of Hazard, for example. But you have to look at the facts, Ballack was one of the best midfielders in the world at the time and captain of the Germany national team, yet Chelsea signed him for nothing.
Had he still been under contract at Bayern, Chelsea would have had to break the bank to sign a player of that profile and calibre, so to get him for nothing was amazing business.
Ballack brought so much to Chelsea’s midfield, power, energy, leadership. He was not the kind of footballer you could bully in the middle of the park. The Blues were able to win their third Premier League title with the German in their side, as well as three FA Cups. Chelsea’s best bargain.
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