Of all the marquee signings Chelsea have made, the 2006 British record transfer that brought Andriy Shevchenko to Stamford Bridge might be the most disappointing.
Coming off two straight Premier League titles, Chelsea made a statement of intent bringing in Ballon d’Or-winner Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan.
In two seasons at the club, the Ukrainian managed just nine league goals, hampered by injuries and failing to adapt to the intensity of English football.
It’s widely regarded as one of the biggest flops of the Premier League era, as most thought Shevchenko would light up Stamford Bridge. But former Chelsea defender Alex once explained his theory as to why the transfer didn’t work out.
Alex says Shevchenko struggled with Jose Mourinho’s management
Brazilian centre-back Alex only spent one season with both Shevchenko and Jose Mourinho, but it was enough time for him to form an opinion on why it didn’t click.
In an interview with GOAL back in 2019, Alex discussed Mourinho’s impact on him and on Chelsea. Despite being full of praise for the Portuguese, he acknowledged that his methods weren’t suited to some players, Shevchenko being one of them.
He explains: “Of course he has his own way of bringing out the best of the players, and a lot of times the players don’t agree with him.
“Sometimes he can hurt, he is very severe with some players… I saw Andriy Shevchenko suffering a bit with this at Chelsea. Mourinho used to put a lot of pressure on Shevchenko and some players don’t work well with this.”
The weight of expectations seemed to crush Shevchenko during his brief stint in London, and Alex attributes some of the blame to Mourinho.
But he maintains strong admiration for his former coach: “I worked with him for just three months at Chelsea and everyday Mourinho used to sit by my side and we talked a lot. I liked him very much as a person and as a coach.”
Shevchenko outlasted Mourinho at Chelsea
Despite winning back-to-back titles in his first two campaigns, Chelsea wasted no time in sacking Mourinho just weeks into his fourth season at the club.
There was a breakdown in his relationship with Roman Abramovich that made continuing in the role impossible.
Shevchenko would stay around for the rest of the 2007/08 season before being loaned back to AC Milan.
The Special One would soon follow his failed striker to Italy, taking up the post of Inter Milan manager. It would be Mourinho who enjoyed the most success, crowned by a Champions League win in 2010.
Shevchenko would move back to the Ukraine where he finished off his career, never returning to the pre-Chelsea heights that earned him the infamous move.
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