The revolving door of players at Chelsea over the last decade has seen over 60 players leave the club. For some, the moves have paid off and success has followed them, but for others, the grass hasn't always been greener.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their £4.25 billion takeover of the football club in May 2022, over £600m has been spent on new signings over the last two transfer windows. As comes with new arrivals, players depart to seek pastures new away from west London.
Over the years, plenty of players have left Chelsea and gone on to bigger and better things: Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Thibaut Courtois, Juan Cuadrado, Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne.
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Despite the success stories away from SW6, there are plenty of players whose transfers have just not worked out. Here, football.london takes a look at six previous Chelsea players who have struggled since departing.
Eden Hazard
Certainly the obvious name on this list. Hazard ended his seven-year stay in London in 2019 to complete a 'dream' move to Real Madrid. However, his time in La Liga has been a disaster with injuries, fitness and form dwindling his career.
The 32-year-old has played 73 games for Madrid and has scored only seven goals. His deal expires in the next 18 months and there currently remains no sign of him extending. A possible return to Stamford Bridge remains on the cards....
Willian
Brazilian winger Willian left Chelsea not long after Hazard as part of the overhaul of the attacking options in the squad. After spending only a year at Arsenal, he returned to Corinthians in 2021 before signing for Fulham in September.
He's shown glimpses of his peak quality for the Cottagers this season and has helped them cement themselves as a mid-table side. However, he was once at the peak of English football with Chelsea and probably could have stayed longer.
Michael Ballack
One of the best free transfers in Premier League history. Ballack joined Chelsea in 2006 upon the expiration of his Bayern Munich contract. Throughout his four years in England, Ballack won the Premier League, the League Cup and three FA Cups.
However, in 2010, he departed on a free transfer after Roman Abramovich's willingness to only offer the German a one-year deal. He returned to Bayer Leverkusen, made 45 appearances across two seasons before retiring. Had he agreed to Abramovich's offer, he could have ended his career in the Premier League.
Michy Batshuayi
The striker signed for Chelsea as one of Europe's hottest prospects after his impressive spell in France with Marseille. He scored 25 times in 77 games for the Blues but spent most of his six years out on loan - six loan spells in total.
After notching 14 goals for Besiktas last season, the Belgian signed for Fenerbahce on a two-year deal for around £3m. He has never really fulfilled his potential in Europe's top leagues but has hit 15 goals in 25 games this term. The perfect case of what could have been.
David Luiz
Luiz was once one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League after adjusting to the physicality perfectly. He won almost every possible club-honour at the club and was a solid partner for John Terry in defence.
After joining PSG for two years, his second spell at Chelsea did not go as well as the first and he joined London rivals Arsenal for £8m in 2019. His reckless defending was sounded out by the speed in attack in the Premier League and he secured a move to Flamengo in 2021 - where he remains.
Diego Costa
A major fan favourite amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful, Costa scored 59 goals in 120 appearances for the club after joining Jose Mourinho's side in 2014. Three years later, he was shown the exit door by Antonio Conte and returned to Atletico Madrid.
In two seasons, the former Spain international scored 19 goals. He returned to Brazil for a short spell with Atletico Mineiro before making a sensational return to the Premier League with Wolves. He's struggled for minutes at Molineux and has more red cards than goals.
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