Ranking the 5 worst Chelsea signings in Premier League history

Under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, Chelsea has emerged as one of the biggest clubs in English football. The Russian oligarch overhauled the Blues through increased spending and sensible investments over the years. It has ushered the club into a new era.

Chelsea’s most recent incoming transfer activity has seen Romelu Lukaku rejoin his former club for a whopping £97.5 million. The Blues are one of the smartest operators in the transfer market, but things haven’t always gone as planned.

Today, we rank the 5 worst Chelsea signings in Premier League history.

#5 Alexandre Pato

Alexandre Pato drew comparisons to Brazilian legend Kaka at his peak and was tipped to be the next big thing in Brazilian football.

However, Chelsea decided to acquire the signature of Pato in the twilight stages of his career, when he was only a shadow of the player he used to be. The Blues snapped up the Brazilian at a time when he found a starting spot in Corinthians hard to come by. Unlike the other players on our list, Chelsea signed Pato on a loan deal, but he failed to make a lasting impact in the brief spell.

The Brazilian enjoyed a good start to his Premier League career, becoming only the sixth Brazilian to score on his PL debut. He converted from the spot against Aston Villa to secure a 4-0 win for Chelsea.

However, Pato would only make one other appearance for Chelsea as he fell down the pecking order behind the likes of Willian, Loic Remy and Bertrand Traore. The current Orlando City striker was sent back to his parent club Corinthians after his disappointing six-month loan spell.

#4 Adrian Mutu

The signing of Adrian Mutu in the summer of 2003 marked the beginning of the Roman Abramovich-era.

The Russian oligarch took over the reins at Chelsea in 2003 and spent over £110 million in his first transfer window as the club owner. Mutu was among a quartet of superstars, including Claude Makelele, Hernan Crespo and Damien Duff, brought in to overhaul Claudio Ranieri’s squad.

While others went on to establish themselves in English football and help Chelsea on their way to being one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League era, Mutu fell out with Jose Mourinho just a year after his signing. The former Romanian international was only afforded two matches by Mourinho before being dropped due to fitness issues.

Mutu tested positive for cocaine and was handed a seven-month suspension from football. He would also go on to test positive for appetite suppressant sibutramine in 2010 during his Fiorentina days.

The Romanian was released by Chelsea in October of 2004, and he returned to football in 2005 with Italian side AS Livorno. Mutu has also represented the ISL side, FC Pune City.