Chelsea became a major investor in 2003 when the club was bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Since the change of ownership almost 20 years ago, the Blues have spent hundreds of millions on new players to keep the club competitive not only in the Premier League but also in Europe.
But Chelsea have also made big sales and become one of the best teams in the world at developing young players and selling them at a profit.
What are the biggest Chelsea sales of all time?
10. Kurt Zouma – £30 million (West Ham, 2021)
Chelsea made the most expensive purchase in their history in 2021 when they acquired Romelu Lukaku from Inter for around £97 million.
Yes, it’s a big spend, but the Blues surprisingly made a profit this summer and sold some marginal players like Kurt Zouma, who went to West Ham for £30 million on transfer deadline day.
Zouma was never a key player at Chelsea, but with the arrival of Trevoh Chalobah, the club was happy to part ways with a player who caused a lot of problems off the pitch in his first season at West Ham.
9. Thibaut Courtois – £35 million (Real Madrid, 2018)
Courtois’ time at Chelsea was certainly successful, but it was unusual because, even after breaking into the Blues’ first team, the goalkeeper made it clear that he would have preferred to stay at Atletico Madrid, close to his family.
During his time at Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles and the FA Cup, and his performances made him a fan favourite, replacing Petr Čech as first-choice goalkeeper.
But leaving the club was very unpleasant. Courtois is reported to have failed to turn up for training in the summer after the 2018 World Cup to force a move to Real Madrid.
8. Juan Mata – £37 million (Man Utd, 2014)
There was panic when Man Utd bought Mata in January 2014.
Things didn’t go so well under new manager David Moyes, who replaced the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mata was brought in to provide a much-needed force in attack, but in eight years at Old Trafford he never managed to reach his peak form at Chelsea.
7. Tammy Abraham – £38m (Roma, 2021)
Tammy Abraham arrived at Chelsea as an eight-year-old and went through the youth academy before making his first-team debut.
He was expected to become Chelsea’s long-term number nine after establishing himself under Frank Lampard.
However, he was relegated to the lower echelons of the competition after Thomas Tuchel was appointed in 2021 and sold to Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the summer of 2021.
6. Nemanja Matic – £40m (Man Utd, 2017)
Man Utd gave their Premier League rivals another pile of cash in 2017 when they bought Matic for £40 million.
The Serbian was Mourinho’s favourite player during their time together at Chelsea, and when the then United manager saw the need for a defensive midfielder, he chose a player he knew well.
Matic was satisfactory during his time at Old Trafford but seemed to be the better player at Chelsea.
He lost his place as defensive midfielder to Fred and Scott McTominay, but was then reunited with Mourinho at Roma.
5. Alvaro Morata – £48.5 million (Atletico Madrid, 2019)
Similar to his performances at all clubs during his career, Morata blew up during his time at Chelsea, but it wasn’t enough to keep him there for more than two years.
He was capable of moments of excellence, but proved not to be the goalscorer the Blues were looking for and ended his career in London with 24 goals in 72 games in all competitions.
Morata eventually went to Atletico Madrid, but the Spanish footballers were forced to buy him for £48.5 million, and according to some reports the compensation will be £60 million.
4. David Luiz – £50 million (PSG, 2014)
PSG broke the record transfer price for a defender in 2014 by buying David Luiz for £50 million.
Luiz was a talented footballer, and as a defender he was certainly capable of making a mistake or two, so the money on offer was indispensable for Chelsea.
The Brazilian returned to Stamford Bridge two years later, as Chelsea signed him back for £16 million cheaper than they sold him.
3. Diego Costa – £50 million (Atletico Madrid, 2017)
Costa was considered as a possible replacement for Didier Drogba after many others tried to do the job but failed.
The Brazil-born Spain international has been excellent in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, helping the club to two Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017.
He was particularly good in 2016/17, scoring 20 goals in 35 league games.
However, after a failed move to the Chinese Super League, he parted ways with then manager Antonio Conte and was eventually sold to Atletico Madrid for a profit.
2. Oscar – £60 million (Shanghai SIPG, 2017)
When the Chinese Super League suddenly started spending outrageous amounts on transfers and wages, the £60 million offer for Chelsea’s Oscar was one that the Blues simply couldn’t refuse.
Yes, he was a great player at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea’s eyes must have lit up when they received that particular sum.
In 2018, he won the Chinese Super League and became extremely rich thanks to his salary in Asia.
1. Eden Hazard – £88 million (Real Madrid, 2019)
Hazard became the most expensive player in Real Madrid’s history and Chelsea’s most expensive sale ever when Los Blancos bought the Belgian for an initial fee of £88 million.
Later reports detailed that Hazard could have cost Madrid as much as €160 million if certain criteria were met.
He has certainly failed to live up to the high expectations so far, as his career at the Santiago Bernabeu has been marred by injuries and poor form.
