Chelsea’s worst Premier League XI of all time: £71.6m flop in goal

ST

Mateja Kežman

LW

Marko Marin

RW

Juan Cuadrado

CM

Tiémoué Bakayoko

CM

Juan Sebastián Verón

DM

Danny Drinkwater

LB

Baba Rahman

CB

Winston Bogarde

CB

Tal Ben Haim

RB

Khalid Boulahrouz

GK

Kepa Arrizabalaga

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga is an unfortunate but understandable choice in goal. Chelsea paid around £71.6m to sign the Spanish goalkeeper from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, making him the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time.

Expectations were high, but consistency proved elusive. In 2019/20, Kepa recorded the lowest save percentage (53.9%) among all regular Premier League goalkeepers.

Kepa eventually lost his place to Willy Caballero before Edouard Mendy arrived. While his Chelsea career included a few solid spells, the scale of investment and expectations meant he never consistently performed at the level the club hoped for.

RB: Khalid Boulahrouz

Khalid Boulahrouz arrived from Hamburg in 2006 with a reputation as a tough and versatile defender. Unfortunately, his Chelsea career never amounted to much.

Injuries and competition for places limited his opportunities, and he made only a handful of Premier League appearances before departing the club.

He wasn't necessarily a poor defender, but his Chelsea stint was ultimately too brief and underwhelming to justify the expectations surrounding his arrival.

CB: Winston Bogarde

Few Chelsea players are as synonymous with disappointment as Winston Bogarde. The Dutch defender joined Chelsea in 2000 after winning major honours with Ajax, AC Milan, and Barcelona.

Yet he failed to establish himself in the first team and made only a handful of Premier League appearances.

Bogarde's reputation became especially controversial as he remained at Chelsea for several years despite being surplus to requirements. His time at Stamford Bridge serves as a cautionary tale of a high-profile signing that never worked out.

CB: Tal Ben Haim

Signed by Mourinho on a free transfer to provide experienced cover for John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, Ben Haim struggled whenever called upon to start.

After Mourinho's departure, the Israeli defender publicly criticised interim manager Avram Grant over playing time, earning heavy fines and a permanent place on the bench before being sold at a loss to Manchester City.

LB: Baba Rahman

The Ghanaian defender arrived from Augsburg in 2015 but struggled to establish himself as Chelsea's first-choice left-back. Injuries played a significant part in his struggles, and multiple loan spells eventually became the defining feature of his Chelsea career.

He never produced a sustained run of Premier League performances to become a dependable Chelsea defender.

DM: Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater is impossible to leave out. He arrived in 2017 for around £35m after playing a pivotal role in Leicester City's extraordinary 2015/16 Premier League title triumph.

Chelsea expected him to strengthen their midfield, but the transfer quickly proved disappointing. Drinkwater made just over 20 first-team appearances before effectively disappearing from the club's plans.

CM: Tiemoue Bakayoko

Bakayoko joins Drinkwater in the centre of midfield. The Frenchman arrived from Monaco in 2017 after helping his club win Ligue 1, and Chelsea expected him to become a powerful long-term presence in midfield.

Instead, inconsistent performances and costly mistakes plagued his first season. A poor display against Watford, which ended with Bakayoko being sent off, became emblematic of his struggles.

He subsequently spent several seasons out on loan before leaving permanently.

CM: Juan Sebastian Veron

Juan Sebastian Veron had already made his name as one of the most highly regarded midfielders in world football before arriving in England.

Chelsea paid a significant fee for the Argentine in 2003, hoping he would bring creativity and control to the midfield. Instead, injuries and inconsistency limited his influence.

Veron's Chelsea career lasted just one Premier League season before he left on loan to Inter Milan. Given his reputation and the weight of expectation, his inclusion in this XI is warranted.

RW: Juan Cuadrado

Cuadrado arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2015 with a reputation as one of Serie A's top wingers. However, the Colombian struggled with the physical demands and fast pace of English football.

He failed to score or provide an assist in his 15 outings before being sent back to Italy on loan to Juventus just six months later.

LW: Marko Marin

Dubbed ‘The German Messi' before he arrived at Stamford Bridge, Marin's Chelsea career was quickly derailed by recurring hamstring injuries.

In the same summer Chelsea signed Eden Hazard and Oscar, Marin failed to make an impact, scoring just one league goal before entering the club's infamous loan system.

Striker: Mateja Kezman

When Mateja Kezman signed for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in the summer of 2004, expectations were sky-high. Nicknamed ‘Batman' during a prolific spell at PSV Eindhoven, where he scored 105 goals in 122 Eredivisie matches, Kezman arrived in England as one of Europe's most feared goalscorers.

However, his transition to the demands of English football proved difficult. Kezman looked short of confidence in front of goal, scoring just four goals in 25 Premier League appearances and seven in 41 games across all competitions.

Although he scored a memorable extra-time winner against Liverpool in the 2005 League Cup final, his inconsistency led Chelsea to sell him to Atletico Madrid after just one underwhelming season.