Ranking Chelsea's Best Strikers in the Premier League Era

Chelsea are flying high in the Premier League right now. Antonio Conte's side are top of the table, pulling clear of the teams below them as they roll from one win to the next.

We can talk about systems and formations as the influence behind it all, but it would mean nothing without the goals of Diego Costa. The striker is firing Chelsea to glory right now, topping the scoring charts with 12 goals in just 15 games.

It's adding a fine chapter to Chelsea's history of frontmen in the Premier League, when the club have boasted some of English football's most exciting strikers.

So that got us thinking, who have been the best to don the Chelsea shirt in that time? We haven't just looked at goalscoring ability here, we've also considered the impact some players made. What was their lasting legacy at Chelsea? How did they help the club move forward during their time at Stamford Bridge?

5. Mark Hughes

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For younger Premier League fans, the mention of Mark Hughes will conjure up images of a grey-haired manager barking out orders from the dugout with the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and now Stoke City.

Before all that, the Welshman was bossing defenders and winning silverware as a player. He built his reputation at Manchester United, but despite being in his twilight years, Hughes was a massive influence on the Chelsea team of the late 1990s.

That era at Chelsea started to become about international stars. Blues fans were being treated to the likes of Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola arriving at the club, although Hughes ensured some British influence remained in west London.

Indeed, his form was such that he edged out Vialli as the preferred partner for Zola in Chelsea's epic 1996/97 campaign, when the Blues reannounced themselves as a force in English football. He was influential in them winning the FA Cup that season, picking up his fourth winners' medal in the famous competition.

Hughes only spent three seasons as a Chelsea player, but he left an indelible mark.

4. Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

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OK, we're cheating slightly by featuring two players in one here. There's good reason, though, as it's impossible to think of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a singular sense. Where their Chelsea careers are concerned, they very much come as a pair.

Gudjohnsen outstayed Hasselbaink at Stamford Bridge by two seasons, although his best years at Chelsea were with the Dutch striker in tow.

As a partnership, they were devastating. Gudjohnsen was the flair behind it, while Hasselbaink brought goals—and plenty of them. They worked seamlessly together, linking up so effectively that Zola was forced to play second fiddle.

When a partnership means a player of Zola's ability is edged out, it speaks volumes for how effective it was. Gudjohnsen and Hasselbaink were sublime and in today's game when every major club is looking for guaranteed goals, they would be a priceless commodity.

It was more by accident than design that they found each other, but nobody at Chelsea was complaining. Gudjohnsen and Hasselbaink were part of an era when the Londoners really matured as a club before Roman Abramovich sent the Blues into the stratosphere.

3. Gianfranco Zola

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The magician. For the generation of Chelsea fans growing up in the 1990s, Zola was what Peter Osgood had been to supporters in the 1960s—an icon.

There are certain players who allow clubs and supporters to dream beyond their means and Zola was exactly that. His diminutive frame was at odds with his stature—the Italy international was a giant for Chelsea. Without him, it's difficult to imagine the Blues winning trophies when they did.

He arrived at a time when Chelsea were in a state of flux. Glenn Hoddle had started the revolution and with Ruud Gullit taking over the reins as manager in the summer of 1996, it took a step forward with the squad becoming more cosmopolitan and exciting in nature.

Still, Chelsea needed some added panache, a player to flick the switch and light the touch paper. Zola's arrival from Parma in November 1996 did just that. He was the missing piece, transforming potential into something tangible; Chelsea fans stopped hoping for success and started to expect it.

He gave the club confidence, and everything else was built from there. He helped transform Chelsea into the club we see today with his magical performances that dazzled and won over a whole new generation of football supporters.

2. Didier Drogba

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The Ivorian is the sort of player upon whom empires aren't just built, they are sustained. In terms of his legend, there isn't a finer striker at Chelsea than Didier Drogba.

Here is a player who won Premier League titles, FA Cups, League Cups and a Champions League for Chelsea. That is impressive enough, but the fact he did it consistently over eight years tells the true story.

The thing that surprises—or impresses—most about Drogba is that he arrived in west London in July 2004 not looking that good a player. His touch was off and his ability in front of goal wasn't what we expected from a striker who would become a great.

It was all about graft for Drogba. He honed his craft at Chelsea to become a star. He utilised his attributes, squeezing every last drop out of his natural ability to become feared throughout the Premier League.

What stands him apart from so many others was his ability to win matches when it really mattered. He scored the winning goals in four cup finals for Chelsea—three of those coming at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup.

The jewel in the crown came in Munich in 2012 when Drogba not only scored Chelsea's equaliser against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, but also the penalty that crowned the Blues London's first and only European champions.

That's success on a biblical scale. It speaks of a player who did it all, as Drogba did in Chelsea shirt.

1. Diego Costa

Such is the emotion that surrounds Drogba's legend at Chelsea, it's borderline sacrilege to even consider a striker who sits above him in rankings of this sort.

Let's be clear, though; we're not talking about legends here, it's about the all-round player. And in the talent stakes, Diego Costa edges it over Drogba. In short, there hasn't been a better striker at Chelsea in the Premier League era.

Give the Spain international time and longevity at Stamford Bridge, and there's an argument to suggest it won't be long before we're removing the Premier League from the equation altogether when judging Costa's status at Chelsea.

When we think of frontmen, Costa is the complete player; this season has proved that. He's scoring vital goals—he has directly won Chelsea 13 points this term—but also performing for those around him.

A case in point is his assist for Victor Moses against Tottenham Hotspur in November. Costa worked tirelessly out wide to beat defenders before crossing into space for the Nigeria international to arrive and smash home. It was a wonderful goal—a goal all about Costa's endeavour and desire.

Against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, Costa created something from nothing to win the game 1-0. He's grown into a big figure and one that this current Chelsea is built around.

Of course, they're attributes we commonly associate with Drogba. But Costa is making more things happen than the Ivorian did; he impacts games without others doing it for him.

As great as he was, Drogba needed others such as Frank Lampard to create his openings, whereas Costa is capable of doing it alone.

Drogba was an exceptional player for Chelsea, but now that Costa is in his third season at the club, comparisons between the two are fair. And as it stands, the former Atletico Madrid man is outshining the Ivorian at this stage of his career.

All Costa needs now is a Champions League final to win over the doubters.

What Chelsea Fans Say:

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@garryhayes Anelka, Drogba, Costa, Crespo, Hasselbaink

— Forza Chelsea! (@Rambo7Fan) December 12, 2016"

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes