Analysing Chelsea's signings since Fernando Torres' £50 million move

From Falcao to Neymar and Thiago Silva to Ibrahimovic, the world of football has seen some sensational transfers in recent years. Big money signings have made huge differences in most cases but at the same time it has added great expectations followed by colossal pressure on players to live up to the billing. Speaking about football transfers, Chelsea FC are one of the bigger names these days in terms of their financial potency.

Fernando Torres’s deadline day departure from Liverpool couple of seasons ago was one of the most shocking moves and dubbed by some (opinions might differ from fan to fan) as a “frightful” move involving £50 million worth of money. Johann Wolfgang once said that “By seeking and blundering we learn”; that brings us to the question – has Chelsea learned from the biggest yet not fruitful transfer they made a couple of years ago?

Let us see the signings Chelsea have made since their record breaking signing:

Note: The above list only includes the signings completed since the 2011 January transfer window. Let us see how well these players have fared since joining the ‘Blues’.

Oriol Romeu was signed from Barcelona, who are considered second to none these days in terms of developing raw talent through their La Masia academy. Romeu flourished under AVB but a long term injury took him out of equation for the major part of the 2012-13 season.

Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois are two of the many Belgium players Chelsea have signed in the last couple of years. Lukaku, who finished this season with a hat-trick against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, had a great season on loan with the Baggies and also made his wishes clear by stating that he wanted to return to Stamford Bridge next season. Courtois, on the other hand, had an even better season with Atletico Madrid, winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Copa del Rey; not to forget the Europa league title he won in 2012. With 96 appearances in 2 seasons, Courtois is getting some valuable experience which will help him on his way to becoming a great player.

Mata, Hazard and Oscar, also known as MAZACAR, have become a famous trio in English football. The trio has been involved in more than 60% of the total goals scored by Chelsea last season and the passing they do in the final third is easy on the eye. Winning the Chelsea player of the year award in successive seasons has made Juan Mata the fan favorite at Stamford Bridge and has also led to comparisons with Chelsea Legend Gianfranco Zola. Eden Hazard and Oscar have also played a crucial part in a season that created a club record of playing most games in a season.

Raul Meireles was another player Chelsea signed from the red half of Merseyside. Meireles was instrumental in the double winning season for Chelsea and his goals against Benfica and Birmingham were full of power sprinkled with class. Although his Chelsea career didn’t last long, the Stamford Bridge faithful will remember him for quite some time.

Marko Marin’s Chelsea career so far has been a letdown due to poor form, less game time and injuries. Still, the kid is just 24 and has got many years to prove his worth.

Gary Cahill on the other hand has had one of the finest journeys, from being in a relegation threatened side to winning the Champions league. Certainly, miracles do happen in football.

César Azpilicueta, the man with a laborious name to spell and an equally tough nut to crack in defence which he proved against the best players in the Premier League. People have given him a different name at Chelsea and he is known as “Dave” in the dressing room.

Lucas Piazon has so far impressed in Chelsea’s youth system and has also enjoyed his brief loan spell with Malaga in the Spanish league.

Victor Moses has enjoyed his first year with Chelsea; scoring 10 goals and making 43 apps is always healthy for a young footballer. The move has brought him some luck on the international level as he won the African Cup of Nations with teammates John Obi Mikel and Kenneth Omeruo.

Demba Ba became the first Senegalese player to ever play for Chelsea. Having played for Newcastle in the Europa League, Ba was cup-tied and with restricted participation, his form dipped at Chelsea. Although goals against both Manchester sides again proved that you can’t write him off.

Chelsea acquired the services of these 13 players for an average of £10.9 million, which includes some world class players. After taking into consideration the signings made in the past couple of seasons, I can say that the club is moving in the right direction, developing young talent, making business and at the same time winning trophies. The average age of the above mentioned players when they were signed accumulates to 22 years approximately, which is quite young for the longer run.