Chelsea are known for an impressive, or infamous, loan network – depending on your viewpoint. There has been a swarm of players that have come and gone in the blink of an eye. Some have even grabbed some medals in their short careers at Stamford Bridge. There have been big names forgotten and small names never remembered.
Here are ten players you forgot ever played for Chelsea.
1. Mikael Forssell
The Finnish striker flattered to deceive for Chelsea from 1998 to 2005. A few impressive loan spells seemed to keep him on the books at Stamford Bridge but he only netted five goals in total. Not quite good enough for Premier League champions.
2. Jiri Jarosik
He may have added some medals to his collection at Chelsea but this time only lasted one year. The defensive midfielder grabbed a League Cup and Premier League during the 2005/06 season. However, he may have been overshadowed by some big new stars in the squad.
3. Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato at Chelsea? Yes. The wonderkid was billed to go right to the very top but he never really made it. He managed a whopping two appearances and one goal in the 2016 season for the Blues. That’s a decent goal ratio, we guess.
4. Khalid Boulahrouz
The Dutchman was signed as a utility defender in a pretty mean defensive lineup. Mourinho wanted him as cover for both centre-back and fullback positions. Two years and 14 games, later he was added to a growing Chelsea loan roster.
5. Ricardo Quaresma
An exciting international player that came in on loan during 2009. He never really got going, only managing four appearances. He has since gone on to be a journeyman around Europe. You’ll remember he was crucial in helping Portugal to European glory in 2016.
6. Pierluigi Casiraghi
Casiraghi was quite a coup signing in West London. He came from Lazio in 1998 where he was adored as probably Serie A’s best number 10. His career was devastated by a cruciate ligament injury and after only ten games and one goal, he retired in 2000.
7. Steve Sidwell
This signing raised a few eyebrows at the time. He was picked up on a free in 2007 after a spell at Reading. In a midfield that contained Lampard and Essien, it was not surprising that Sidwell struggled to assert himself. Aston Villa took him for £5 million the next summer. Good business?
8. Asier Del Horno
A solid if not spectacular left-back that joined from Bilbao. His one season, 2005/06, at Chelsea gave him a Premier League winners’ medal, but you’ll remember him in less happy memories. A straight red card for a ludicrous challenge on Lionel Messi ended Chelsea European hopes that season.
9. Jon Harley
He had impressed early on in his career but in an up-and-coming side, he seemed to fall short in the end. He got himself an FA Cup winners’ medal in 2000 as an unused substitute. Amazingly, he has gone on to make 426 professional appearances for 11 clubs, finishing at his hometown club, Maidstone.
10. Deco
You could probably pick Deco out as a Chelsea player if you had a good long think. He often goes forgotten despite his world-class reputation. He was part of some of Europe’s greatest sides, including Mourinho’s Porto and the Ronaldinho/Etoo Barcelona. Chelsea seemed to have a slowly ageing Deco from 2008-2010 and he promptly left after the sacking of Scolari.
Header image by Ludovic Péron (GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
