Who Is Chelsea FC’s Worst Signing Since 2010?

With the opening of the transfer window coming to us very soon, we here at The Pride of London thought we could take a look back at some of Chelsea FC’s more dubious transfer decisions in recent years. Some of the choices (ahem, Torres) will come as little surprise to you but others will make you scratch you head and think, “really? They thought he was that bad?”.

Some of the choices may even make you sit back in disbelief and ask yourself whether the Blues had actually signed the player because he made such little impact on the pitch. So join us as we take a look back, through the eyes of our wonderful staff, at some of the poor decisions the Chelsea brass has made in the last five years and let us know if you think we missed anyone in the comments!

Next: Yossi Benayoun

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Yossi Benayoun

Khaled: The best part about this is when I mentioned my pick of Yossi Benayoun to the group, one staff writer remarked that he had forgotten Chelsea FC had ever signed the Israeli international. Yossi was signed by Chelsea in 2010 for £5.5m from Liverpool and was inexplicably given the number 10 shirt. Thankfully he gave it to Juan Mata the following season before he was shipped off to Arsenal on loan.

During that loan spell he celebrated an Arsenal victory over Chelsea on Twitter and the already disliked Benayoun became a hated figure at Stamford Bridge. In three very forgettable seasons he made 24 appearances, 25 for Arsenal in 2011-12, scored 1 goal, and lifted the Europa League trophy.

He came and went at Chelsea with little fanfare and despite his low price tag it was a poor move for everyone involved. Benayoun was a decent enough player at Liverpool but the move seemed more to help Torres feel at home than for any other reason and for that alone the move was a disaster from the start.

Next: Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres

Joshua: I gotta go with Torres! When you spend £50m for the guy and break the record for most money spent in a British transfer, you have to perform better then he did. There were great moments and a couple iconic goals, but you pay £50m for consistent attacking from a striker and Torres didn’t give Chelsea FC that.

Mike: It has to be Torres for me. We had already went though one forward calamity that led the club to being in a directional limbo when Roman signed Sheva and to make the same kind of mistake again by getting Torres for 50 MILLION on the last day of the January transfer window is too much for me. The signs were already there that he was on the decline and his inability to live up to the price tag ultimately helped (unfairly) give Carlo the boot out the door.

Suarez signed FOR Liverpool for 23 million that same day, Aguero was signed by City later that summer for 38 million. Adding the likes of those players could’ve done so much more for the club than El Nino did. I think there’s a couple of pieces of silverware we are without now because of the four years we had Torres leading the forward line.

Connor: Has to be Torres. Torres had the £50 million price tag and scored 20 league goals over 110 appearances…while Diego Costa proceeded to score 20 in 26 this season. Torres does have the silverware and iconic moments, but for 99% of his time at Chelsea, he looked like he couldn’t be bothered and it was like the team was playing with 10 men instead of 11.

Next: Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku

Brendan: While part of me agrees with the Torres selection, the name that drives me the most crazy is Romelu Lukaku.  In 2011 we signed two Belgians who, in many ways, were selected to replace legends at the Club.  Lukaku was supposed to be the next Drogba while Courtois was the next Petr Čech. Now, watch this video (thanks again as always Feroze!).

I remember watching it and thinking, there is no way he doesn’t come to  Chelsea and be a success.  He was in tears looking at Stamford Bridge and, at that moment, he would’ve given anything to play for Chelsea. Nope. He gave us nothing and complained on the way out.

Editor’s Note: This was a choice that intrigued me because I never thought of Romelu Lukaku as a poor transfer. He came to Chelsea, it did not work out, and the Blues made a hefty profit off his sale. However considering the amount of hype surrounding him and all the “next Drogba” talk, this choice makes more and more sense to me.

Next: Demba Ba

Demba Ba

David: My least favourite signing that wasn’t Torres is Demba Ba. He really offered nothing of use and scored 14 goals over the course of 1.5 seasons. Even when we had zero strikers in 2013-14, Ba was still behind Torres (and you could argue Samuel Eto’o as well) in the pecking order. Of course, I still remember going nuts when he knocked PSG out of the Champions League, but if Feroze were to do a tribute video for Ba’s time at Chelsea, it would probably last about 30 seconds.

I know 7 million isn’t an awful transfer fee, but in that same transfer window Phillipe Coutinho went to Liverpool for 8.5 million. Really a forgettable signing to put a stamp on Benitez’s forgettable tenure. I hope he brings that same caliber of decision-making to Real Madrid next season.

Next: Marko Marin

Marko Marin

Andrew: I’d pick Marko Marin. Marin was meant to be a young, creative attacking midfielder. He failed to break into the first team and I will always remember his awful challenge at the beginning of our home loss to QPR as a major low point in that season. 8 million euros we won’t get back, and I don’t imagine him ever returning from loan to his parent club.

Ejoh: Would have picked Torres because of the huge transfer layout, but I think I would go with Marko Marin. He was signed for six million pounds at the age of 23. He is now 26 and will probably be allowed to leave the club for free after failing to impress at any of his loan clubs, including Anderlecht. At 26 we should be making a profit on him, or at least getting as much as we paid, not letting him leave for free.

Next: Oriol Romeu

Oriol Romeu

Ajitesh:  What about Oriel Romeu? Signed for around £5 million as a hot prospect from Barcelona, and has now faded away into obscurity after a few loans. He didn’t do much when he got the opportunities and will probably leave Chelsea for free. I’ll admit he picked up a knee injury at a terrible time, but he’s still nowhere near the squad.

Editor’s Note: Romeu is an interesting choice as he has done little for Chelsea FC since signing but he has suffered injuries at very inopportune times. He has been solid in his loan spells and he is the only player that can actually redeem himself considering he has a chance to contend for a spot in the senior squad next season.

So there you have it, the choices are Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun, Marko Marin, Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku, and Oriol Romeu. Let us know in the poll below who you think was the worst Chelsea signing since 2010 or if there is someone else you want to nominate then let us know in the comments below!

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