5 biggest Chelsea flops in Premier League history

#3 Danny Drinkwater - €37.90 million

Danny Drinkwater was woeful for Chelsea.

Chelsea’s experience with Danny Drinkwater in the Premier League is quite similar to that of their affair with Tiemoue Bakayoko. Both midfielders were impressive for their previous clubs and were signed in the summer of 2017 for a fee of around €40 million.

Drinkwater, however, is a bigger flop as his career has been absolutely obliterated since moving to Stamford Bridge. While Bakayoko is still only 27 and is on loan in Milan, the Englishman is plying his trade in the EFL Championship with Reading. The 31-year-old’s market value is just €1.80 million at the moment.

The former Leicester City midfielder has played just 23 times for the Londoners. Over the last four years, he has been loaned to multiple clubs including Burnley, Aston Villa and Kasimpasa. He remains on the Blues' books but unlike Bakayoko, Drinkwater’s Chelsea career is on the verge of coming to a definitive end.

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#2 Andriy Shevchenko - €43.88 million

Andriy Shevchenko never quite lived up to the Londoners' expectations after his prolific goalscoring in Italy.

Andriy Shevchenko was one of the most prolific strikers of the early 2000s. In 322 matches for AC Milan, the Ukrainian scored 175 times and provided 45 assists. His exploits earned him the 2004 Ballon d’Or award, making him the first and only player from his nation to receive the accolade.

Shevchenko joined Chelsea in 2006 for a substantial amount of €43.88 million. The serial goalscorer was expected to hit the ground running. In contrast, he only found the net five times in 30 Premier League appearances during his first campaign.

The Ukrainian’s failure to adapt to the pace of the English top-flight, coupled with the pressure of the price tag, bogged him down and into the ground. His struggles continued throughout his stint at Stamford Bridge, and he managed to score only 22 times in 77 appearances.

Shevchenko eventually returned to Milan on loan before completing his career with Dynamo Kyiv.

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#1 Alvaro Morata - €66 million

Alvaro Morata was a massive flop in the Premier League.

Alvaro Morata’s torrid time in England can be attributed to a mixture of lack of confidence and his failure to score from big chances. When he arrived, Morata, like Shevchenko and Torres, was the club’s record signing.

The former Real Madrid striker, however, wasn’t as established as the aforementioned duo were ahead of their respective moves to Chelsea. Morata was seen as a long-term option to solve their striker woes but that wasn’t to be, as he was shipped back to Spain in 2020.

Morata netted just 24 times in 72 matches, amounting to a goal in every three games. This output is unacceptable for a player who commanded such a high transfer fee. The 29-year-old is still struggling with confidence, which is noticeable because of his moments of panic in front of goal.

To date, Morata has had just two campaigns with 10+ goals despite featuring for multiple giants across Europe.