Chelsea: Former Blues who would be welcomed back at Stamford Bridge

3. Kevin De Bruyne (2012-14)

Blues supporters’ hearts must sink whenever they hear his name—Home Alone and Kevin & Perry have been ruined forever. They have never looked at a shade of blue with such remorse. Kevin De Bruyne, arguably the most outstanding player in the country and quite often in Europe, was—of course—once on the books at Chelsea.

Hindsight is a wonderful excuse for life’s mistakes, particularly when that misjudgment turns out to be as brilliant as De Bruyne. However, across his very short stint for the Blues, separated by a loan to Werder Bremen, he simply did not succeed. Admittedly, he had only recently entered his 20s, was signed as a winger and was fighting for his place against numerous other new additions.

The love story became more of a tragedy as De Bruyne set sail for the Bundesliga. It seems a ritual that when you leave Chelsea, you become the best in that respective division. In his second full campaign with Wolfsburg, he became the Player of the Year thanks to his astonishing tally of 28 assists.

Pep Guardiola is no fool, as some sections believe Mourinho was for not embedding De Bruyne better, acquiring the playmaker as part of his revamp at Manchester City. The duo cemented their position as the finest in their respective duties, winning the league twice and virtually every League Cup ever contested. De Bruyne would, of course, win the Player of the Year vote in 2019/20, accompanying his Players’ Player of the Year mantel.

Chelsea was sorely reminded what could have been when he elegantly stroked home a free kick at the Bridge in June, only for the Blues and Liverpool to have the last laugh as the visitors lost 2-1, their crown to be removed and replaced by the Reds. Lampard does have plenty of options in attacking areas, but none quite like De Bruyne. Hakim Ziyech has precision, Kai Havertz has the ability in the box, Mateo Kovacic can drive with the ball. De Bruyne has that all mixed into one magic package.