Chelsea FC's Top 20 Transfer Signings of All Time

Chelsea have made some tremendous transfers over the years.

They have brought in solid players, good players and, in some cases, great players. Some were bought at a good value, and others cost a higher price.

Given that we're in the January transfer window now, I thought it would be good to rank the 20 best transfers in the history of the club.

Obviously, it's tough to rank different transfers from different eras. Nevertheless, I've done my best to value players from the past and present to try and value each transfer.

Feel free to let me know what you think.

20. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was one of the best goal scorers in the early part of the 2000s.

He was brought in from Atletico Madrid in 2000 for £15 million. It was a club record at the time, and Hasselbaink proved he was worth it right away.

He scored 23 goals in 35 league appearances in his first season, and he followed that up with the same numbers the next season.

Hasselbaink fell off in his last few years with the club, and he didn't find the net nearly as consistently.

He was a good player, but his great play was short-lived. His value doesn't quite warrant a club-record fee, which is why he's so low on the list.

19. Nigel Spackman

Nigel Spackman played two different stints for Chelsea, but I'll focus on the transfer that brought him to Stamford Bridge in 1983.

Spackman was purchased for £35,000 while John Neal was rebuilding the squad. He was a fantastic midfielder, helping the Blues return to the top flight.

Chelsea finished in the top six twice in a row before Spackman was sold after having a fallout with the manager.

He was sold to Liverpool for £400,000, making him a pretty great sale for the Blues after getting some great value for him.

18. Ricardo Carvalho

Ricardo Carvalho is one of the greatest Chelsea defenders of all time.

With him and John Terry, Chelsea had one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory. Jose Mourinho managed the club with a defensive mind, and not many teams could score on the Blues.

Carvalho has had a great career elsewhere, but his time at Chelsea will not be forgotten.

He was brought in for £20 million. In the next six years, he helped Chelsea win 10 trophies.

Although he cost a hefty amount, Carvalho was a great player and helped Chelsea become one of the best clubs in England.

17. Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben was at Chelsea for a short time, but he certainly played an integral role in winning some trophies.

He was brought in for £12.1 million and played the left wing as well as anyone could.

Robben brought a strong attacking width to Chelsea, and he helped them win back-to-back EPL titles in 2005 and 2006. Injuries prevented him from being a great player, but Robben still did his part.

Chelsea sold Robben for nearly twice what they paid for him at £24 million. Since they were able to get great services and a good price for a young player, Robben was certainly a great transfer for the Blues.

16. Michael Essien

Michael Essien is one of the best midfielders in the world.

He can go from one box to another without losing his pace. He can defend, facilitate and score just as well as anyone at his position.

Unfortunately, he doesn't play as often as Chelsea fans would like. He has played 58 matches in the last 3.5 seasons, which is not something the Blues had hoped for.

Essien was brought in £24.4 million, a club record at the time. Roman Abramovich has had no problem spending money, and Essien was well worth the price.

Given his injury struggles and incredible price, Essien isn't one of the best value transfers for Chelsea. However, he is one of the greatest players in this era, and Chelsea has to be happy he's been playing in their uniform.

15. Pat Nevin

Pat Nevin came to Chelsea for £95,000 and made an impact right away.

In the 1983-84 season, his first, Nevin helped the Blues win promotion as the Second Division champions. As a winger, he was voted Chelsea's player of the year for that season.

Nevin's pace and skill made him a favorite amongst the fans, and he was a fantastic player for the Blues while accumulating nearly 200 caps in league play.

He was eventually sold to Everton for £925,000.

14. Marcel Desailly

Marcel Desailly had some great success for Marseille and AC Milan before Chelsea brought him in for £4.6 million.

For the next six years, the French international played centre-back for the Blues, even captaining the squad for a short time.

Desailly helped the Blues win three trophies in six years, and he was relatively cheap. Although his success was greater in France and Italy (winning back-to-back Champions League titles for different clubs), Desailly played well for Chelsea.

He was strong, he was effective and he was a captain. For £4.6 million, that isn't too shabby.

13. Roy Bentley

Chelsea brought in Roy Bentley for £12,500 from Newcastle United.

In each of his eight seasons, he led the Blues in scoring. Bentley ended up scoring 150 goals for the club, putting him at fourth on the all-time list.

He also captained the side to the 1955 First Division title, making him and John Terry the only two men that have won a top-flight domestic trophy as captain.

Bentley is a legend with the club, and his transfer was well worth it.

12. Claude Makelele

Claude Makelele is one of the best defensive midfielders of all time.

He came to Chelsea for £16.8 million after Real Madrid's president had nothing nice to say about him. While younger players showed up at Chelsea, they sure didn't cause Makelele to be forgotten.

He kept his role for five years, winning just about every trophy possible. If not for a John Terry slip, Makelele would've won every meaningful trophy possible.

His high transfer cost has him outside the top 10 on this list, but that's the only reason. His play was fantastic, but his actual transfer wasn't necessarily the best.

Makelele was a tremendous player. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters.

11. Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic is one of the cheapest players Chelsea have bought within the last five years that has contributed regularly.

He was brought in for £9.7 million, and he has lived up to that price. He has been a solid defender and he has been flexible, playing both on the outside and inside.

Ivanovic's inconsistent play and periodical inability to mark has knocked him in and out of the starting lineup over the past few years. Nevertheless, he has been able to play multiple positions, making him very valuable.

With today's prices and costs, buying a player like Ivanovic for less than £10 million is practically a steal.

10. Steve Clarke

Steve Clarke came to Chelsea for £422,000.

Over 10 years and 400 caps, the defender hung up his boots. He won four different trophies, and he was Chelsea's player of the year in 1994.

He was voted onto Chelsea's centenary XI in 2005 as a right-back. He played some tremendous football for the Blues in the late 1980s and through the 90s before becoming a successful coach in the Premiership.

His durability and talent make Clarke one of the best transfers in Chelsea history.

9. David Speedie

As a striker, is there a cooler name than David Speedie?

Speedie formed one of the best striker tandems in Chelsea history while playing with Kerry Dixon. John Neal signed him for £80,000 when he was busy rebuilding the club.

Speedie scored nearly 50 goals in over 150 league matches, complementing his goal-scoring teammates.

Speedie came in for relatively cheap, and he played an effective attacking role for five years.

8. Charlie Cooke

Charlie Cooke is a talented Scottish winger who captured the Chelsea faithful in the late 1960s.

Chelsea brought him in for £72,000, which was a club record at the time (1966). He played nearly 400 matches for the Blues, and most of the fans were crestfallen when he was sold to Crystal Palace in 1972.

However, he came back shortly after and finished his European career with the Blues.

Cooke is a Chelsea legend, and his transfer was more than worth it.

7. Kerry Dixon

Kerry Dixon is one of the greatest English goal scorers of all time.

Dixon came to Chelsea for £175,000 in 1983. Almost a decade later, he was the second-highest scorer and had the fourth-most caps (he's now eighth).

Dixon could find the net like nobody's business. In fact, he almost netted 200 goals in a Chelsea uniform.

Even though £175,000 was a lot of money back in 1983, Dixon proved more than worth it. He is one of the best players in Chelsea history, and nearly any price would've been worth it.

6. Dennis Wise

Dennis Wise came to Chelsea for a club-record £1.6 million, and he was worth every penny.

Wise played in the midfield for over a decade, and he was one of the best purchases in Chelsea history.

He was a great captain for Chelsea before being stripped of his duties after an assault charge. Even though he was a little controversial, Wise is still one of the greatest players in club history.

Wise is sixth on the Chelsea appearance list, which is admirable for a gritty midfielder. He was sold in 2001 as the team was trying to get younger, but he was still more than worth his original transfer.

5. Didier Drogba

Say what you want about his diving, his temperament or his age. Didier Drogba is one of the greatest players in Chelsea history.

Roman Abramovich brought him in for a club-record £24 million.

He has been worth every penny.

Drogba has been scoring goals at a blistering rate, and he just notched his 150th goal in a Chelsea uniform. Free kicks, incredible strikes and clinical finishes have made Drogba one of the best goal scorers in Premier League history.

He has won two Golden Boots in England, and he has led Chelsea to three Premier League titles and three FA Cup titles. With him up top, the Blues have been one of the most successful teams in England.

Drogba may be on his way out soon, but he has been one of the best signings in not only the Abramovich era, but Chelsea history.

4. Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole is one of the greatest left-backs in Premier League history.

He has played over 150 league matches for two different clubs, each of them hanging around the top of the table each year. He has had one of the best careers of all time in England, and more than half of it has been with Chelsea.

Cole has lifted 13 trophies in England in his career, and he has been a dominant force on each team. Chelsea sent William Gallas and £5 million to Arsenal for Cole's services, and they haven't looked back.

Cole has lost a step or two, but he is still one of the best full-backs in the world. Cole has stayed pretty healthy for the Blues, making him an even more valuable transfer.

Cole is an all-time great for Chelsea, and he was easily worth Gallas and £5 million.

3. Petr Cech

Petr Cech came to Chelsea for £7 million.

To this day, he is the most expensive goalkeeper in Chelsea history.

I think he's been worth the money.

Cech has been in the net for the Blues since 2004, and he looks like he will be playing for the foreseeable future.

His reaction time is incredible. His shot-stopping ability is great. And his game management from the back is outstanding.

Cech hasn't quite been in form this year, but he'll figure it out. He has been among the world's top goalkeepers for quite awhile, and he should stay there for a little while longer.

His helmet would be recognized anywhere. His new facemask makes him look like an evil villain. Nevertheless, Cech is outstanding.

He is one of the greatest goalkeepers of this era, and Chelsea bought him for £7 million.

Not too bad.

2. Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola is one of the best attackers in Chelsea history.

He came to the club for £4.5 million in 1996. He was the Football Writer's Association Footballer of the Year in 1997, and he continued his greatness for his remaining time in a Chelsea jersey.

He was elected to the Chelsea centenary XI and then the English Football Hall of Fame. In 2003, Chelsea fans picked him as the greatest player to ever play for the club.

Pretty solid list of accolades, huh?

The fee was reasonable, and the career that followed was spectacular, making Zola one of the greatest transfers in Chelsea (and English) history.

1. Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard is a Chelsea legend.

The Blues purchased him in 2001 for a measly £11 million. From there, he has just been making history.

In the past 11 years, Lampard has been a regular for the Blues. He is third on the all-time goals list, and he is fourth on the appearances list.

He may not be the player he once was, but we must keep in mind how spectacular he once was. Lampard has been a force in the EPL since the 1990s, and he's been a force for the Blues since the early 2000s.

He has scored countless meaningful goals, and he has been nothing short of a great person.

Lampard is a leader, and he has always done great things for Chelsea. He is in the twilight of the career, but he can still make a difference in a title race.

Lampard only cost £11 million. The memories he has made with Chelsea are priceless.

There are great players in this club's history. There will be more great players in this club's future.

Not many of them will ever be able to live up to Frank Lampard.