The summer transfer market is here again, and teams are battling it out in the Premier League to acquire the best legs. Along with football enthusiasts, punters are flocking to top bookmakers, as well as crypto bookmaker sites, to stake on which teams land the top stars.
Liverpool, desperate to save a failing season, have already procured the likes of Cody Gakpo.
Man United have moved on from the dramatic exit of their once-upon-a-time icon, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the January acquisition of the Dutch mountain man, Wout Werghost.
Chelsea pulled off a coup by landing the skillful Jao Felix from Atletico Madrid in a stunning half-season loan. Of course, there is so much expectation on the shoulders of the young Portuguese to rescue an underperforming Chelsea side.
Just like Jao Felix, there are other players who arrived at Chelsea with similarly high expectations…but FAILED.
In this article, we will discuss three players who could have done better during their time at Chelsea.
Alvaro Morata
When the Spaniard arrived from Real Madrid to Chelsea, he was flaming with confidence.
Morata had previously played the role of a super substitute for Real Madrid, where he Kareem Benzema a run for the first striker position.s
Acquired for 58 million pounds, many expected him to slot into Antonio Conte’s team and steadily pull of the goals.
His calm demeanor was also expected to introduce some calm forward, particularly after the unpredictably aggressive Diego Costa fought with almost every Premier League defender.
Indeed, Morata’s first season was not as miserable.
He managed to score 15 goals in 30 starts. But after a bright start, his performances nosedived dramatically. By the second season, Morata was severely short on confidence, haunted by his extensive portfolio of big chances missed.
Notably, in the second season, Morata only had five goals and was already a laughingstock at Stamford Bridge. Injuries didn’t help his cause either, as the Spaniard struggled with reoccurring back issues.
Ultimately, Chelsea would cut their losses by shipping him on loan to Atletico Madrid.
Khalid Boulahrouz
Khalid Boulahrouz played a defensive position for Chelsea from 2006 – 2008. Even in this short time (2 years) at Chelsea, he was loaned out to Sevilla for a year, where he made six appearances and scored no goals.
Due to several issues, Khalid Boulahrouz’s performance in the English Premier League was subpar.
First of all, he struggled to adapt to the toughness and pace of the English Premier League. Secondly, he had trouble adjusting to the Chelsea team’s tactical demands, which represented a significant improvement above the league he had previously played in.
Ultimately, he could not perform to the greatest standards because of his lack of experience playing at the highest level of European football, which revealed his flaws. Additionally, he was frequently played out of position, which prevented him from using his skill.
In all, Khalid Boulahrouz made a total of 13 appearances, scored no goals, and gave no assist. You can clearly see that Khalid Boulahrouz terribly flopped at Chelsea when put on par with his defensive counterpart, Ashley Cole, who gave several goal assists, scored 7 goals, and made 229 appearances in his stay at Chelsea.
After his loan tenor was over in 2008, Khalid Boulahrouz was later sold off to VfB Stuttgart, where he made more appearances and scored two goals.
Winston Bogarde
Winston Bogarde’s performance at Chelsea was a total flop because, despite his considerable talent and experience, he was unable to have an impact on the team. He struggled to make the first team and was frequently criticized for his lack of effort and dedication to the club.
His ability to get along with the other players was also lacking, and his attitude toward teamwork and training was frequently questioned.
Winston Bogarde’s performance at Chelsea was more like the display of a dying star. Although Winston Bogarde had played full-back for several popular clubs, which includes SVV, Sparta Rotterdam, Ajax, Milan, and Barcelona, he failed to replicate his successes at Chelsea.
Winston Bogarde made a total of 9 appearances, scored no goals, and gave no goal assists in his stay at Chelsea (2000 – 2004). Given his experience playing at popular clubs, the French center-back player, William Gallas, seems to be beating Winston Bogarde at his game with 12 goals in 159 appearances whilst having no prior high-grade experience at any popular clubs.
In the end, when Winston Bogarde’s contract ended in 2004, he refused to accept a wage cut, which led to his eventual dismissal from the team in 2006 and his retirement from football. Now he is pursuing a managerial career at Ajax.
Patrick van Aanholt
Due to a lack of opportunity and playing time, Patrick van Aanholt’s performance at Chelsea was a flop compared to other clubs he had played for.
Van Aanholt spent five years with Chelsea but only made two appearances and had no goals or assists before being eventually loaned out four times to different clubs.
Due to the presence of more seasoned players like Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic, who had made over 200 appearances and had scored more than six goals, he also had trouble making an impression.
Van Aanholt ultimately failed to join Chelsea’s first team and left the club for Sunderland in 2014, where he made 82 appearances and scored 7 goals. After Sunderland, he furthered his career at Crystal Palace and is now in Galatasaray, where he is making significant progress.
These mentioned players clearly had potential. But somehow, we never saw enough of it at Chelsea.