Chelsea's 10 greatest Premier League transfers ever

Analysis

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Since the turn of the 21st century, Chelsea have been a force to be reckoned with in both the Premier League and Europe, racking up a multitude of honours to firmly place them as one of England's top teams.

Although times have been tougher since the arrival of Todd Boehly, in this millennium they have won over 20 major trophies, including two Champions Leagues titles and five Premier League titles.

A key part of this success has been the additions of top talent. Even with the departure of previous owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have continued to splash the cash.

In fact, during the 2022 summer transfer window, Chelsea spent more money than any club had previously splashed in a single period.

Although some signings haven't worked out - Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres and Juan Sebastian Veron spring to mind - many have made themselves into heroes.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 best Chelsea signings of the Premier League era.

Gianfranco Zola - €6.2m (from Parma, 1996)

Gianfranco Zola spent seven fantastic years at Chelsea following his arrival from Parma in 1996 and he was truly delightful to watch throughout an illustrious spell in west London.

The Italian joined Chelsea before their extraordinary period under the ownership of Roman Abramovich and he is remembered as one of their best players to ever play for the club.

A pure magician on the ball, Zola scored 80 goals in 312 games for Chelsea, won six trophies and helped the Blues establish themselves as a true force in English football once again.

Frank Lampard - €16m (from West Ham, 2001)

Arguably Chelsea's greatest ever transfer, Frank Lampard won everything there is to win at Stamford Bridge and he one of the club's biggest ever legends. He even took charge of the team for 18 months from 2019 to 2020, and recently returned as caretaker, but his real success came as a player.

Having been backed by Harry Redknapp, who said Lampard "will go right to the very top" in a now famous interview, 'Super Frank', as he's known to Chelsea fans, proved that statement correct during his time at the Blues.

He is the club's all-time record goalscorer, despite being a midfielder, with 211 goals, and he is fourth on the all-time list for appearances with 648. He is fourth on the all-time list for Premier League appearances (609), seventh for goals (177) and fifth for assists (102).

The Englishman won 13 pieces of silverware for Chelsea and even came second in the 2005 Ballon d'Or awards. Frank Lampard is a Chelsea icon, and for just €16m, he was an absolute steal.

Petr Cech - €13m (from Stade Rennais, 2004)

Carlo Cudicini was the number one when Petr Cech arrived at Chelsea, but after the Italian suffered an injury in pre-season, the Czech shot-stopper was promoted to number one and he never looked back.

He won the Premier League title in his first season at Stamford Bridge and he also won the Golden Glove award having kept 21 clean sheets in the campaign, conceding a mere 15 goals. It was Jose Mourinho's first season in charge, and Chelsea had changed English football.

He went on to win a total of 14 trophies at the club, before being sold to Arsenal for a €1m profit. He is Chelsea's best-ever goalkeeper, and his rugby-style helmet is iconic within English football.

Ricardo Carvalho - €30m (from Porto, 2004)

Somewhat underrated by many, Ricardo Carvalho was Mourinho's primary target once he joined Chelsea, and his wish to bring the centre-back with him from Porto was granted.

Alongside the aforementioned Cech and Chelsea captain John Terry, Carvalho formed one of the most formidable defences of the 2000s, helping the club win back-to-back Premier League titles whilst conceding just 37 goals across those two campaigns; less than a goal every other game.

He was a regular until Mourinho left for Inter, and under Guus Hiddink, Carvalho lost his place to Alex. He returned under Carlo Ancelotti, however, and helped the club win the Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009/10.

He left the club in 2010 to join Mourinho at Real Madrid after winning an impressive three Premier League titles in six years.

Didier Drogba - €38.5m (from Marseille, 2004)

The ultimate big-game player. Didier Drogba knew how to turn up when it mattered most. Mourinho had been determined to sign the Ivorian ever since playing against him during his time at Porto, and his wish was granted in his first summer as Chelsea boss.

It was questioned by many at the time, but 104 Premier League goals and 16 trophies later, nobody is questioning it now.

Whilst his goalscoring record has been often criticised by rival fans, Drogba was more than a pure No.9, and in fact, he accumulated over 12 Premier League assists in a single campaign on three separate occasions. By reference, Lampard only managed this feat twice.

With 10 goals in 10 finals, Drogba helped Chelsea cement their place amongst Europe's elite and his style of play is perhaps best epitomised by Nemanja Vidic who described him as “physically the hardest” striker he’s ever faced.

Drogba's heroics in the 2012 Champions League final, in which he scored a last-gasp equaliser and the winning penalty, cemented his status as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players.

Ashley Cole - €7.4m (from Arsenal, 2006)

This transfer saga was filled with drama, but Ashley Cole was eventually signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2006, and they will be glad they wrapped his signature up.

Dubbed 'Cashley' by angry Arsenal fans, Cole went on to become a Chelsea legend, winning a total of nine trophies at the club, including four FA Cups that made him the most decorated player in the competition's history.

Arguably the best left-back in the world between 2005 and 2010, Cole was a stalwart at the back for the Blues. He was vital in the 2009/10 double-winning side and his role in the 2012 Champions League win was immense, making crucial goal-line clearances in both the semi-final and the final, as well as scoring his penalty in the shootout.

He was eventually dropped in favour of Cesar Azpilicueta by the returning Mourinho during the 2013/14 season, and left at the end of that year for Roma, but Cole remains a Chelsea legend.

Branislav Ivanovic - €12m (from Lokomotiv Moscow, 2008)

Having joined Chelsea in January 2008, Branislav Ivanovic failed to make a single first-team appearance in his first six months at the club, with a reported lack of fitness and pace the reason for this.

After failing to establish himself at either right-back or centre-back in his first two seasons, Ivanovic was far from a Chelsea regular, but in 2009/10, he found form under Ancelotti after Jose Bosingwa suffered a season-ending injury. Ivanovic was named in the PFA Team of the Year for that season, helping the Blues win the aforementioned double.

He missed the Champions League final in 2012 through suspension, but had scored the winning goal in extra-time against Napoli in the last-16.

He also scored the winner in the 2012/13 Europa League final, and once Mourinho returned, he was the best right-back in the country. He helped the side to the 2014/15 Premier League title and was named in the PFA Team of the Year once more.

He won a total of 10 trophies at the club and is one of the best full-backs in Premier League history.

Eden Hazard - €35m (from Lille, 2012)

Joining the reigning European Champions, Eden Hazard hit the ground running in west London and he was quite simply a joy to watch in a Chelsea shirt.

He was the ultimate fan favourite, and after contributing over 200 goals and assists in 352 games, Hazard deserves such acclaim. His best season was his last, in which he scored 16 goals and assisted 15 in 32 Premier League starts.

Hazard won six trophies at Stamford Bridge, and gained the club an €85m profit when he moved to Real Madrid after the Blues' Europa League final win over Arsenal in 2021.

Although his transfer to Chelsea could scarcely have worked out better, Hazard then struggled with injury issues in Spain and he eventually retired from football at the age of just 32.

Cesar Azpilicueta - €8.8m (from Marseille, 2012)

Nicknamed 'Dave' by Chelsea supporters who struggled to pronounce his surname, Cesar Azpilicueta became a fan favourite after moving to Stamford Bridge.

He was a rotation option in his first year, but under Jose Mourinho he became the first choice left-back at Stamford Bridge. Despite being right-footed, he excelled in this position and was named Chelsea's Players' Player of the Year.

He was vital during Chelsea's 2014/15 title win, and under Antonio Conte he finally moved away from left-back. He played as the right centre-back in a 3-4-3, and his positional awareness helped the side win another title.

He was named club captain ahead of the 2019/20 season and he led the Blues to a memorable 2020/21 Champions League triumph.

Sixth on the club's all-time appearance list, with 508, he overtook Petr Cech to become the foreign player to have been fielded by the Stamford Bridge side the most, and he departed in the summer of 2023 as a Chelsea legend.

N'Golo Kante - €35.8m (from Leicester, 2016)

Named PFA Players' Player of the Year in his first season at Chelsea, N'Golo Kante became the first player since Eric Cantona to win back-to-back English top flight titles with two different clubs when he helped Chelsea to the 2016/17 trophy.

The perfect foil for Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and later Jorginho, Kante was widely recognised as one of the best midfielders in the world during his stint at Chelsea and he was a pivotal player during Antonio Conte's debut season in west London.

He helped France win the 2018 World Cup, and was crucial in Chelsea's 2021 Champions League triumph, winning the Man of the Match award in the final and both legs of the semi-final.

Like Azpilicueta, 2023 marked the end of his Chelsea journey, having won six major trophies, as he signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.