Chelsea FC Transfers: Ranking the Blues' All-Time Top 10 Deals
After Roman Abramovich spent over £70 million in January to bring Fernando Torres and David Luiz to Stamford Bridge, there has been a lot of speculation over how much he is willing to pay this summer to bring in some of the world's best players.
The Abramovich era has seen some extravagant transfer fees that has ultimately resulted in some huge flops; £50 million Fernando Torres still has time to redeem himself after a poor start to his Chelsea career, however Andriy Shevchenko failed to live up to expectations during his time at the club after his £30 million move.
But which players have the club signed for bargain prices? Here I will rank the top ten deals in Chelsea's history.
To avoid any confusion, I will point out that legends that have come through the Chelsea youth system such as John Terry and Peter Osgood have not been included on the list as, despite costing the team nothing, they were not part of a deal between clubs to bring them to Stamford Bridge.
10. Branislav Ivanovic
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Signed for £9.7 million from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008, Ivanovic has already proven to be a fantastic signing for Chelsea. Compared to other great Chelsea defenders of the Abramovich era such as Ricardo Carvalho (£25.5 million), he was a fairly cheap acquisition, and his form over the last two seasons has seen him become one of the club's most consistent player.
He was included in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year in the double-winning campaign of 2009-10, demonstrating his importance during the club's most successful season.
A solid defender for a cheap price who, at just 27 years of age and with a contract keeping him at Chelsea until 2016, should feature as an important part of the team for many seasons to come.
9. Arjen Robben
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Arjen Robben's time at Chelsea was limited to just three seasons, but Blues fans are unlikely to forget the impact he made after his £12.1 million transfer from PSV in 2004.
He played a vital role in Chelsea's back-to-back league title wins under Jose Mourinho despite being injured for lengthy parts of both seasons. His ability to leave defenders for dead with his dribbling skills made him one of the best young wingers in the game.
Although he hasn't played as big a part in Chelsea's history as some others that have missed out on this list, the fact that he was sold to Real Madrid for double the price he was bought for three years later suggests that it was a fantastic piece of business by the club to bring him to Stamford Bridge in 2004. His talented displays proved that we got him for a bargain price despite his injuries.
8. Charlie Cooke
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Another skillful winger, albeit from a completely different era, was Scotsman Charlie Cooke, who played for Chelsea in two different spells during the 1960s and 70s.
In his first spell he was bought for a then club record £72k from Dundee in 1966. At the time, it may have been seen as a bold move by manager Tommy Docherty, as he was brought in to replace Terry Venables. However, his wing-wizardry soon saw him become a key member of the team alongside the likes of Peter Osgood and Ron Harris.
Cooke starred as Chelsea won the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history with a 2-1 win over Leeds United in 1970, putting in a beautiful cross that Osgood headed home for the equaliser. This was one of a number of highlights in Cooke's fabulous Chelsea career, and so it was £72k well spent by Docherty.
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7. Claude Makelele
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When Makelele was signed by Claudio Ranieri's Chelsea for £16.8 million in 2003, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez laughed at the Frenchman's "average" technique and his "lack of speed and skill." His comments were criticised by Zinedine Zidane, who called Makelele the "entire engine" of the team, and Fernando Hierro said he was "the best player in the team for years."
His performances at Chelsea proved just how great a player Makelele was. He played an integral part of the club's success under Jose Mourinho. Despite scoring just two goals in his four seasons at the club, Makelele was vital for Mourinho's counter-attacking strategy, as he held his position in front of the back four when defending and started attacking moves when he won the ball back from the opposition.
£16.8 million may be a lot of money compared to other players on this list, however Makelele's importance to the club's first two league titles of the Abramovich era mean the deal was one of the best in the club's history.
6. Ashley Cole
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Ashley Cole was signed for Chelsea in a swap deal with William Gallas from Arsenal, with the Blues paying the Gunners and extra £5 million as well as the French defender.
However important Gallas was until his departure in 2006, he had already fallen out with the club's board after contract negotiations had broken down. His inconsistent form for both Arsenal and Tottenham since he left Chelsea suggest that it was the right time for him to move on.
Cole has been brilliant for the club since his arrival and has won the club's Players' Player of the Year Award twice. During his time at Chelsea, he has won three FA Cups and the Premier League title; his contribution has led to many pundits labelling him as the best left-back in the world.
For just £5 million as well as a player that was unlikely to continue in the club's starting eleven, it was a fantastic deal.
5. Roy Bentley
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In 1948, Bentley signed for Chelsea for a fee of £12.5k from Newcastle United.
The deep-lying forward was a key player in Chelsea's side until he moved to Fulham in 1958, scoring 150 goals in 367 appearances for the Blues, making him joint-fourth in the club's all time goalscorer list with legendary striker Peter Osgood.
He captained the side to their first top-flight league title in 1955, the only player to do so in the first 100 years of the club's history until John Terry in 2005.
4. Dennis Wise
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Wise signed for Chelsea from Wimbledon in 1991 for a then club-record fee of £1.6 million. During his eleven-year spell, he played for the club on 445 occasions, the sixth highest number of appearances in Chelsea's history, and scored 76 goals from midfield.
He captained the side to win two FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup, making him the second most successful captain in the club's history behind John Terry.
He won the club's Player of the Year award twice in 1998 and 2000 and was sold to Leicester City in 2001 for the same price as the club bought him for. He is regarded by many Chelsea supporters as a club legend, and the fans still sing of his memorable equaliser against AC Milan at the San Siro in 1999.
3. Petr Cech
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Signed from Rennes for a fee of £7 million in 2004, Cech has been one of the best goalkeepers in world football since his move to Stamford Bridge.
Although he may have originally been bought as a back-up to Carlo Cudicini, Cech immediately entered the starting eleven under Jose Mourinho and has remained there ever since. In his first season, he was awarded the Premier League Golden Gloves award in recognition of his record-breaking 25 clean sheets. The following season, he played in 36 of the 38 league games, and the club conceded just 15 goals in the entire league season, another Premier League record.
Despite fracturing his skull in a horrific collision with Reading winger Stephen Hunt in 2006, Cech made a full recovery and his form for Chelsea since then has been terrific, winning his third league title and FA Cup in 2010.
£7 million for one of the world's best goalkeepers was a superb deal for Chelsea in 2004, and at the age of just 29, Cech still has plenty of years to come.
2. Gianfranco Zola
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Zola joined Chelsea from Parma in 1996 for a fee of £4.5 million. He played for the club for the next seven years and was voted as Chelsea's best ever player by fans in 2003.
The Italian magician made an instant impact, being voted as the Football Writers' Player of the Year for the 1996/97 season despite only joining the club in November.
During his time at Chelsea, he scored 80 goals in 297 appearances and helped the club win two FA Cups, a League Cup and a European Cup Winners' Cup. His skill and awareness to score goals such as a memorable backheel in an FA Cup tie against Norwich in 2002 made him a player that both Chelsea and the Premier League have missed dearly since his return to Italy with Cagliari in 2003.
He will forever be remembered as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players, and so the £4.5 million fee paid in 1996 represents excellent value-for-money for such a wonderfully gifted footballer.
1. Frank Lampard
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Quite simply Chelsea's best ever midfielder, Lampard joined the club for £11 million from West Ham in 2001.
He has been a fans' favourite at Stamford Bridge ever since, scoring 170 goals in 509 appearances to date. Whether he can beat Bobby Tambling's record 202 goals for the club remains to be seen, but what is certain is that Lampard's goalscoring record from midfield is one of the best in world football. He scored at least 20 goals in five consecutive seasons before injuries last season meant he managed a respectable 13.
It was Lampard's two goals that saw Chelsea win their first league title in 50 years against Bolton in 2005, one of the many highlights in his career so far. In 2005, Lampard finished as runner-up to Ronaldinho in both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
His importance to the club's most successful period in their history cannot be under-estimated; Lampard was once hailed by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as "the best player in the world".
For £11 million, Chelsea bought one of their greatest ever players for less than half the price of superstars to follow such as Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, and so this deal has to go down as one of the best in the club's history.
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