15 stars you forgot played for Chelsea including Euro 2016 winner & Man Utd flop
Chelsea are often criticised for their use of the loan system with players remaining at the club for years without making an appearance.
And it leads to fans forgetting the players that have actually featured at Stamford Bridge over the years.
There are many still plying their trade that, at one time or another, wore the famous Chelsea kit.
We could have put together a similar story when it comes to Chelsea managers given Roman Abramovich’s tendency to pull the trigger.
But, for now, Daily Star Sport have put looked at 15 players that you may well have forgot ever featured for the Blues.
Fabio Borini
The Italian winger actually started his senior career at Chelsea, having been first choice striker for the reserves.
Though he made just four Premier League appearances for the Blues, failing to find the net, before joining Liverpool.
His Reds career wasn’t that successful either, and he has failed to hit double figures in a league campaign anywhere.
Ricardo Quaresma
A Euro 2016 winner with Portugal, Quaresma never really ignited during his 2009 loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
The winger made just four Premier League appearances with the Blues, having made the temporary move from Inter Milan.
He was part of the Inter squad that won the Champions League, while also having a Serie A title to his name for the same season.
Oriol Romeu
Better known to most for his time at Southampton, Spanish midfielder Romeu got his first taste of football in England with Chelsea.
He headed to west London from Barcelona in 2011 and spent four years with the Blues, though made just 22 Premier League appearances.
That did include 16 in 2011-12, helping Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League, where he was an unused sub in the final, in that same season.
Papy Djilobodji
Having signed a four-year deal for the Blues, who paid between £2.7m and £4m, Djilobodji’s only Chelsea appearance in the third round of the League Cup away to Walsall.
Just five months after signing, he was loaned out to Werder Bremen and left Stamford Bridge that summer for Sunderland.
He now finds himself with Gaziantep in the Turkish Super League.
Scott Sinclair
Now at boyhood club Bristol Rovers, Helen Flanagan’s partner spent five years as a Chelsea player from 2005.
The Blues had pay Rovers an initial £200k following a Football League tribunal for Sinclair’s signing, though he made just five Premier League appearances for the club.
Sinclair went on to shine at Celtic, helping the Hoops to three Scottish Premiership titles during his time with the club.
Deco
Two years with Chelsea saw the iconic Portuguese midfielder lift the Premier League title and back-to-back FA Cups.
He was a regular at Stamford Bridge having been Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first signing at the club.
Deco struggled following Scolari’s sacking though was rejuvenated following the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti and was instrumental in helping the Blues to a double.
Jeffrey Bruma
The Dutch defender started his senior career at Chelsea having joined the Blues’ youth setup from Feyenoord at the age of 15 for a fee of £100,000.
He went on to make just four Premier League appearances for Chelsea, being a regular in the academy team at the same time.
Now at Heerenveen in Holland, Bruma has previously won two Eredivisie titles during his time at PSV Eindhoven.
Tomas Kalas
The Bristol City captain was tipped by many to become a regular at Chelsea, eventually spending nine years at Stamford Bridge.
He only ever made two Premier League appearances for the Blues, but has been a regular in England’s second tier.
He spent time with Middlesbrough and Fulham on loan before heading to Ashton Gate, temporarily at first, with the Robins paying £8m to make the move permanent.
Alexandre Pato
Chelsea fans hoped a loan spell for the Brazilian would see flair at Stamford Bridge, though it never materialised.
Pato made just two Premier League appearances, scoring on his debut against Aston Villa, before returning to Corinthians.
Pato had impressed at AC Milan, though never found that same form during his short spell in England.
Radamel Falcao
An unsuccessful loan spell at Manchester United, where he managed four goals in 26 appearances, did not put Chelsea off making the same offer to the Colombian.
Injuries didn’t help his cause at Stamford Bridge with Falcao scoring once in ten Premier League appearances.
He was also dropped from the Blues’ Champions League squad for the second half of the season and returned to Monaco at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
Steve Sidwell
Having shone at Reading, Sidwell joined Chelsea in the summer of 2007 on a free transfer.
Though he found life tough having to battle the likes of Michael Essien and Frank Lampard for a spot in the Blues midfield.
He stayed at Stamford Bridge for just one season before Aston Villa signed Sidwell for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £5m.
Asier del Horno
Chelsea paid £8m to bring the Spanish left-back to the Premier League in 2005, where he was a regular as the Blues won the title.
He made 25 Premier League apperances, though is perhaps more remembered for being shown a straight red for a foul on Lionel Messi in the Champions League.
It helped Barcelona win the tie with Del Horno returning to Spain that summer as he put pen to paper on a deal at Valencia.
Mikael Forssell
The Finn was just 17 when Gianluca Vialli brought him to Stamford Bridge, though the arrival of Chris Sutton limited his appearances.
Perhaps better known for his first loan spell at Birmingham where he bagged 17 Premier League goals in the 2003-04 season, Forssell never really found his feet at Chelsea.
He retired in May 2018 having spent time in Germany while also featuring for Leeds United, where he failed to score in 15 Championship appearances.
Charly Musonda
Another that started his career as a Blue though struggled to make his mark, Musonda has made just three Premier League appearances.
He remained on the Chelsea books until 2022, but often found himself sent out on loan and had spells with Vitesse and Celtic until he left permanently for Levante.
He suffered a career-threatening knee injury in October 2019 and is back in training at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.
Marco van Ginkel
Like Musonda, Van Ginkel stayed on the Chelsea books for a long time.
However, most of his time with Chelsea was instead spent with PSV Eindhoven, as he spent 2016-2018 and 2020-2021.
So it was only natural that when he was to leave Chelsea full-time, it would be to PSV, where he can say that he has won multiple Eredivisie titles.
It wasn't to be, though, as in early 2023 he left for league rivals Vitesse Arnhem.
Tal Ben Haim
Former Bolton, Portsmouth and Manchester City ace Ben Haim joined Chelsea for one season in 2007.
He had signed a four-year stay though headed to City after 13 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
Ben Haim was outspoken during his time in west London, criticising manager Avram Grant having initially signed when Jose Mourinho was boss.
Gael Kakuta
Following controversy over his transfer, Chelsea may have wondered why they bothered with Kakuta making just six Premier League appearances for the Blues.
He had loan spells with Fulham and Bolton before eventually leaving Stamford Bridge seven years after joining.
He is now playing at Amiens in France, but has also played for Sevilla, Hebei China Fortune, Deportivo La Coruna, Rayo Vallecano and Lens.
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