It was Hakim Ziyech who came first; his £33.3million signing from Ajax confirmed all the way back in February 2020. Yet that was just the start of Chelsea's recruitment drive under Frank Lampard.
Timo Werner was brought in next. The German forward had plundered goal after goal in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig and had attracted interest from Liverpool, but Chelsea managed to convince him to switch to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £47.5million.
Then came Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for £71million - one of the most sought-after young players in European football. His signing was somewhat down to opportunity – Real Madrid and Barcelona's finances were impacted by the Covid pandemic and Bayern Munich focused on their energy on bringing in Leroy Sane from Manchester City.
