Chelsea Soccer Membership have grow to be identified previously for his or her means to make use of quite a few top-level centre-forwards who’ve provided the products in entrance of aim.
Didier Drogba, Diego Costa, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Nicolas Anelka are only a handful of gamers who captured the hearts of the supporters throughout their respective durations at Stamford Bridge.
Spaniard Costa was arguably the final striker who dominated throughout his time in West London, scoring 59 occasions in his 120 appearances for the Londoners throughout his three-year spell within the Premier League.
His all-round means to attain targets, while having the ability to pin a centre-back offering a focus, and even play off the shoulder made him an actual handful – enjoying an important within the membership’s final league triumph again in 2016/17.
In 2024, Nicolas Jackson is the person tasked with main the road for the Blues below new boss Enzo Maresca, scoring 16 targets in his final 39 league appearances after becoming a member of from Villarreal final summer time.
While the fanbase are nonetheless crying out for an improve on the Senegal worldwide, he’s confirmed to be a stable talisman, undoubtedly higher than one participant who disenchanted throughout his second spell on the Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku’s time at Chelsea
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku first joined the Blues approach again in 2011/12 from Anderlecht, arriving on the membership as one for the longer term.
He loved a number of profitable spells at West Brom and Everton, earlier than departing Chelsea in a £28m deal in the summertime of 2014 – ending his three-year keep within the capital.
Nevertheless, regardless of seeming a very good charge on the time, it could be a deal the membership would remorse, re-signing the striker seven years later for a reported £97.5m because the membership seemed to construct on their Champions League profitable marketing campaign the season prior below Thomas Tuchel.
Regardless of registering 15 targets in his first marketing campaign again at Stamford Bridge, he would depart on mortgage to rejoin Inter Milan on mortgage after a fallout with the Chelsea boss.
His torrid second spell with the Blues would finish this summer time, becoming a member of Napoli in a £30m deal – reuniting him with former boss Antonio Conte, ensuing within the membership dropping a staggering £67.5m in only a three-year interval.
The switch was a catastrophe all spherical, together with his lack of targets coupled together with his off-field antics tarnishing his time on the membership regardless of the joy round his return in 2021.
Lukaku’s big-money switch could be made much more irritating, particularly contemplating the membership have been concentrating on one other European expertise earlier than making the transfer for the Belgian that summer time.
The person who Chelsea wished alongside Lukaku
Chelsea’s hunt for a brand new striker in 2021 noticed them land Lukaku, however they might’ve landed one other top-level expertise for across the identical charge throughout the identical switch window.
A report from The Athletic states that the Blues have been additionally in signing Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, with the Bundesliga facet demanding £100m for his providers that summer time.
The Norwegian would ultimately transfer to Manchester Metropolis the next summer time for a reported £51m resulting from a launch clause in his cope with the German facet.
The 24-year-old, who’s now valued at £152m as per Transfermarkt, has taken his profession to the following stage after his Premier League transfer, scoring 99 occasions in 103 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s facet, breaking the document for probably the most targets in a 38-game league season again in 2022/23.
Most useful gamers within the Premier League (2024/25) | |
---|---|
Participant | Market worth |
Erling Haaland | £152m |
Phil Foden | £126m |
Bukayo Saka | £118m |
Rodri | £110m |
Declan Rice | £102m |
Stats by way of Transfermarkt |
He helped propel the membership to their first-ever Champions League title in the identical season, profitable the treble in a really outstanding marketing campaign for Metropolis.
Haaland’s unbelievable aim document would have massively improved the Blues squad and aided their makes an attempt to safe a primary league title in eight years – however as a substitute, they’re left wanting down the barrel of their woeful funding in Lukaku.
Undoubtedly, the membership should want that they might flip again time and safe a deal for the prolific goalscorer, however now they’ve to take a seat again and watch the machine consistently discover the again of the web for Guardiola’s facet as they appear to win a fifth league title in six years.