30. Steve Clarke: 1987-98
Before Branislav Ivanovic made a name for himself, Steve Clarke was the greatest right back to pull on a Chelsea FC shirt. Clarke joined the club from Scottish club St. Mirren in 1987 for £422,000 and stayed at Chelsea for 11 seasons.
In those 11 seasons, Clarke made 421 appearances in his right-back position and scored 10 goals in the process. He was best known for his steady presence and was a nearly automatic selection for the starting XI from 1987-98.
The Scotland international also helped the Blues lift four trophies including the FA Cup and League Cup in back-to-back seasons. He was also named as the Chelsea Player of the Year in 1994 and seven years after he left the club he was named to the club’s centenary XI.
Since retiring as a player, Clarke has pursued a career in management and has spent time at Stamford Bridge as the youth team coach and assistant to Jose Mourinho from 2004-08. He managed West Bromwich Albion but was most recently with Reading before being sacked in December 2015. Clarke is still beloved at Stamford Bridge and wherever he is managing is often seen as a good destination for Chelsea to send a few of their many loanees.
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