Top 10 Chelsea financial flops

No10: Khalid Bhoularouz



Jose Mourinho hailed Khalid the Cannibal after his £8m arrival after
earning a reputation as a fearsome defender. But Bhoularouz failed to nail
down a regular spot and was soon shipped out on loan to Seville. He
completed a switch to Hamburg this summer — for around half the fee he cost
two years ago.

No9: Asier Del Horno



Another odd signing from Mourinho. Despite possessing Wayne Bridge in
the pre-Ashley Cole days of 2005, the Blues paid £8m for left-back Del
Horno. Yet, the Spaniard never settled at the Bridge and was flogged to
Valencia at a loss of £3m just a year later.

No8: Scott Parker



Flush with Abramovich’s cash at the start of 2005, Claudio Ranieri
opted to splash out £10m on Parker. The midfielder emerged as a true star at
Charlton but he was unable to leapfrog Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele
into Chelsea’s team. After a frustrating 18 months, he left for Newcastle
for £6.5m.

No7: Geremi



One of the first to join at the start of Abramovich’s money-mad era.
The midfielder may have arrived in a £7m deal from Real Madrid but he was
never more than a bit-part player at the Blues. After four seasons of
struggle at the Bridge, Geremi — still only 28 at the time — headed to
Newcastle on a free.

No6: Damien Duff



Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea paid Blackburn £17m for Duff in
2003 but he initially looked good value on the opposite wing to Arjen
Robben. Yet, injuries hampered the Irishman’s development and, three years
after his arrival, the Blues sent him to Newcastle — who else? — for just
£5m.

No5: Shaun Wright-Phillips



Wright-Phillips was supposed to the answer to Chelsea’s search for a
natural right winger — even though there was shock at the £21m fee. Mourinho
and later Avram Grant failed to find room for his talent — and it was no
surprise when Phil Scolari let him go. Even at a loss of £12m.

No4: Juan Veron



Even without the aid of hindsight, this was arguably Chelsea’s oddest
buy. Veron was a huge failure at Manchester United but the Blues gave him a
second chance with a £15m deal in 2003. To no-one's surprise, the midfielder
again flopped and was eventually sneaked out on a free last year.

No3: Adrian Mutu



Chelsea splashed out £15.8m on Mutu in 2003 but he was sacked for
taking cocaine a year later. The Blues effectively gave the striker away for
free, with Juventus signing him after his seven-month suspension. However,
the star has now been ordered to pay Chelsea over £13m in damages.

No2: Hernan Crespo



The Argentina ace carved out a reputation as one of the world’s
deadliest strikers during his time in Italy. Crespo’s arrival for £16.8m in
2003 signalled Abramovich’s intent. But the star failed to take England by
storm and after a series of loans, he was released this summer for nothing.

No1: Andriy Shevchenko



This list has featured a string of huge losses but none of them come
close to the Shevchenko saga. Signed for a British record £30m in 2006, the
striker became arguably the biggest flop in the game's history. After two
painful years, Sheva was gone for a tiny fraction of his whopping fee.
Shocking business.