Surprising signings happen in the world of football. Odion Ighalo ended up joining Manchester United on loan during the January transfer window from Shanghai Greenland Shenhua which surprised many. Even though the Nigerian had decent success with Watford between 2014-2017, he was never really viewed as being a player who could play for an elite club.
The following are two players who joined Chelsea under surprising circumstances.
Mark Schwarzer
The Australian joined Chelsea during the summer of 2013 on a free transfer from Fulham when he was 40-years-old. Schwarzer at the time was past his peak. He had been one of the most respected keepers in the Premier League following lengthy spells with Middlesbrough and Fulham.
Schwarzer was brought to Stamford Bridge as cover for then Blues first-choice keeper Petr Cech. He played four times in the league during that season as Chelsea won the Premier League title. He deputised for Cech during a Champions League game against Steaua Bucuresti in December 2013 and in the process became the oldest player to debut in the Champions League at 41-years and 65 days.
Schwarzer was released from the Blues at the end of that season. Surprisingly though, he did not retire. He joined Leicester City on a one season deal and whilst he did not make a single competitive appearance for the Foxes, they went on to win the Premier League during that season.
Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud joined Chelsea in January 2018 from Arsenal. The Frenchman was past his peak at the time but it was a win-win situation for both clubs. Chelsea at the time were short of quality up front with Alvaro Morata struggling to find the back of the net.
Giroud was struggling to earn first-team minutes for the Gunners and needed to play as much as possible in order to win selection to the French team for the 2018 World Cup. In the end, the striker was included in the Les Bleus World Cup squad and he helped them to become World Champions in Russia.
