7 Chelsea Players of Last 10 Years Who Never Won over the Fans
We know plenty about the heroes of Chelsea.
Take a walk around Stamford Bridge on matchday, and one will witness fans taking the familiar pilgrimage of walking the stadium's perimeter to have their photo taken next to the giant images of heroes past and present.
The names include Ron Harris, Peter Osgood, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba, plus many more.
They all helped deliver success to west London, but even in more tougher times, their character and commitment was enough to endear them to the Chelsea crowd.
For every hero, there must be a villain, though.
Like any club, Chelsea have plenty of their own, with an abundance of failures in more recent times.
Join Bleacher Report as we look at some of the Chelsea players from the past decade who have struggled to win over their fans.
Mateja Kezman
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When Mateja Kezman joined Chelsea in 2004, he arrived pretty much under the radar. When he left the following summer, nobody was too bothered then, either.
A phenomenal scoring record in Holland with PSV Eindhoven—Kezman netted 105 goals in 123 league matches—his move was overshadowed by the £15 million Chelsea also paid that summer for Didier Drogba.
It was a sign of things to come for the Serbian, who remained in the shadow of Drogba throughout his solitary season in English football.
Kezman took 12 matches to score his first Chelsea goal and continued to struggle. Given his exploits in the Eredivisie, much more was expected than his eventual return of just eight.
He later joined Atletico Madrid for £5.3 million.
*Stats via SoccerBase
Shaun Wright-Phillips
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In today's market, the £21 million Chelsea paid for Shaun Wright-Phillips would hardly cause a ripple. A decade ago, however, it was very big business.
Signing the Englishman for such a considerable fee was a risk from Jose Mourinho, and despite some flashes of brilliance, Wright-Phillips never lived up to the price tag in a Chelsea shirt.
Football fans are normally drawn to the marquee signings, making them instant heroes. By the time SWP joined Chelsea, though, the Stamford Bridge crowd was used to them after Roman Abramovich's spending sprees of the past.
Wright-Phillips had to do much more to impress the Chelsea faithful, and with the likes of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba for competition, he struggled to win over their hearts and minds.
Three years after joining Chelsea, SWP was shipped back to Manchester City for just £9 million.
Jose Bosingwa
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For a player who was part of the team that won the 2012 Champions League, it says plenty about Jose Bosingwa's time at Chelsea that he is barely remembered at Stamford Bridge just three years later.
And any memories that are mentioned of Bosingwa revolve around one of his many horror shows.
Perhaps it was the fact Bosingwa lacked any real character away from the pitch in order for fans to take to him. And given how he flattered to deceive for the best part of his Chelsea career, there wasn't much during the 90 minutes that meant he could take on the status enjoyed by some of his teammates.
A sign of Bosingwa's reputation at Chelsea was when he joined west London rivals QPR shortly after that Champions League victory.
Normally moving so close to home can cause outrage. For Bosingwa, it barely registered with Chelsea fans.
Daniel Sturridge
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Given the struggles Chelsea endured with their strikers during Daniel Sturridge's time at Stamford Bridge, it's a surprise Chelsea fans never really took to him.
Whenever he featured for the Blues, the former Manchester City man rarely put a foot wrong.
Indeed, despite being the youngest and least experienced of Chelsea's strikers in 2011/12, Sturridge was leading the scoring charts for the Blues heading into Christmas that season.
He had racked up 10 goals before the turn of the year, while the likes of Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba could only manage that total between them.
Managerial changes saw Sturridge fall down the pecking order, and within a year, he was sold to Liverpool for just £12 million.
It was good business for the Reds given his scoring success there since that move, but Chelsea fans remain unconcerned with the fact they lost a talented young striker.
John Obi Mikel
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There's a reason why John Obi Mikel hasn't been loved at Chelsea: He simply hasn't been good enough.
Which begs the question of whether any other player in the history of football has remained at a club for so long without any genuine affection being put his way?
Next June will the 10th anniversary of his signing, but rather than celebrate, Chelsea fans will lament the fact the Blues ever went head-to-head with Manchester United for his signature.
From arriving with so much hype, Mikel's never delivered at Stamford Bridge. It's frustrated to the point that his decade in west London is not looked upon with the fondness one might expect.
Ramires
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Ramires is the odd one out in this list because his reputation has hit peaks and troughs at Stamford Bridge.
After a difficult first campaign when he joined from Benfica in 2010, Chelsea fans weren't sure what to make of him.
Then he seemed to peak in the 2011/12 run to the Champions League final before gradually regressing back to the player of 2010.
It's meant the Brazilian divides opinion. Where some fans will applaud him for his work rate, others will criticise Ramires for a lack of composure in front of goal that has meant he's never hit the heights he should have.
In 2015/16, he's become a bench player at best.
Juan Cuadrado
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Juan Cuadrado exited Stamford Bridge as quick as he entered it.
Signed for a whopping £26.1 million in January, the Colombian has since joined the ranks of the many Chelsea players out on loan, moving to Juventus this summer.
And ask the fans who attend matches what they think; few will be too concerned.
Cuadrado has done nothing for Chelsea thus far that suggests he was worth the investment the club made in him, and the sight of him fumbling with possession in the few appearances he did make just added to the frustration.
Outside of the "Cuadrado Mafia" known to operate on social media and message boards, there isn't much love for him in west London.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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