5 more players whose careers dipped after joining Chelsea

Chelsea are famous around the world as one of the biggest brands in club football. Their journey from a mid-table club to a European powerhouse under Roman Abrahamovic is remarkable, but it has come at the cost of certain careers.

Chelsea look like a club cut from the same cloth as Real Madrid, thanks to their ruthless mindset concerning underperformers.

They believe in buying talent rather than patiently developing it, which is why a host of youngsters have found it tough to break into the starting XI at Stamford Bridge. They sent out a whopping 38 players on loan, which is testament to the club's mentality. And Chelsea's loan policy has become the reason for the downfall of a few players at the club.

Let's have a glimpse at another set of those unlucky footballers who lost their charm at the Bridge.

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#5 Oriol Romeu

Oriol Romeu deserved more playing time at Chelsea

A product of the famous La Masia, Oriol Romeu jumped at the chance to join Chelsea when they came calling for him with a €5 million deal in the summer of 2011. However, the Spaniard's desire for frequent playing minutes was left unfulfilled as he failed to break into the first team at the club.

It came as a surprise when Chelsea loaned out Romeu to Stuttgart after tying him down to a new contract in 2013. John Terry was already ageing and with David Luiz's sale to Paris Saint-Germain, the youngster was expected to feature more frequently in the starting line-up.

Yet, Romeu's versatility as a defensive midfielder and a defender proved inadequate and he was sidelined to the fringes.

The Spaniard left Chelsea to join Southampton in 2015. Had he been promised more playing time, Oriol Romeu would easily have established himself as a Chelsea regular for sure.

#4 Andre Schurrle

Andre Schurrle was not granted frequent playing time by Jose Mourinho

Andre Schurrle's eye-catching performances for Bayer Leverkusen convinced Chelsea to splash £18 million on the young German. However, fate had worse things for him in store at the Stamford Bridge.

Looking at Schurrle's performances tells you he wasn't a complete failure, albeit he certainly could have done better with frequent playing chances. To start with, he had to compete with the likes of Oscar, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Willian and Kevin De Bruyne for a starting berth at Chelsea.

Schurrle, however, failed to gain Jose Mourinho's trust ahead of the likes of the aforementioned stars and left for Wolfsburg in 2015. Currently aged 27, he is a benchwarmer at Borussia Dortmund in Germany, and a lack of playing time has also seen him miss out on regular playing opportunities for the national team.

#3 Gael Kakuta

Gael Kakuta was once tipped to be a future Ballon d'Or winner

In his early ages, Gael Kakuta was labelled as the 'next Zidane' and was also hailed by players like Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack for his exciting raw talent. However, the young Frenchman became another unlucky victim of the club's loan policy.

In his seven-year tenure with Chelsea, Kakuta was loaned out for six times to six different clubs, which denied him the required stability to establish himself at the Stamford Bridge. He got first-team opportunities only under Carlo Ancelotti but after the Italian's sacking, Kakuta's Chelsea career was over.

He joined Sevilla in 2015 and has failed to revive his career ever since, moving to Chinese outfit Hebei China Fortune in 2016.

#2 Yuri Zhirkov

Yuri Zhirkov failed to get the better of Ashley Cole at Stamford Bridge

Russian left winger and left back Yuri Zhirkov joined Chelsea in a £18 million deal in January 2009, which made him the most expensive Russian footballer of all time. However, Zhirkov failed to live up to the massive expectations that were placed on his shoulders following the move.

The left-back position was dominated by Ashley Cole when Zhirkov arrived at Stamford Bridge. The Russian found it tough to beat the Englishman for a starting berth and got meagre chances to prove himself. Adding to it, injuries also restricted him from establishing himself as a regular at the Bridge.

In two seasons, Zhirkov appeared only 49 times and scored just once before being sold to Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011.

#1 Loic Remy

Loic Remy was restricted to the benches by Diego Costa's red-hot form

Loic Remy interested a host of big clubs who were in search of a striker after netting 14 times in just 27 matches during his loan spell with Newcastle. Chelsea were quick to activate his £10.5 million release clause in 2014.

However, things failed to work out well for the Frenchman who played second fiddle to the mighty Diego Costa. The Spaniard's red-hot form saw Remy restricted to the fringes at the Stamford Bridge. He scored just 12 goals in his two-year spell with the Londoners and became another example of a huge waste of talent by the club.

Currently aged 30, Remy is trying to revive his career with Spanish club Las Palmas.