Ever since Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, the Blues have regularly spent big in the transfer market to bring in the best players in the world. But, the Chelsea owner is notorious for wanting instant success, with managers having very little time to recover from any setbacks suffered during the course of their tenures.
This has resulted in players not having enough time to show their true worth and moved on quickly as different managers have resulted in different ideologies and the need for a variety of players over the course of relatively short spans.
Some of these players have gone on to prove Chelsea wrong by becoming important players for their future clubs.
Here are the top 3 players Chelsea regret selling
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben was one of Roman Abramovich’s first big signings, bringing in the Dutchman from PSV Eindhoven for €18 million. Robben helped the Blues to two Premier League trophies under manager Jose Mourinho. But, he left the club at the end of the 2006-07 season, joining Spanish giants Real Madrid for €35 million, after falling out-of-favour with Mourinho.
He did not have a major impact in a star-studded Real Madrid side, but his next move was where he played his best football. He joined Bayern Munich for around €25 million 2009 and went on to have a glittering career at the German club, winning 8 league titles, 1 Champions League, and numerous domestic cups.
Kevin De Bruyne
Another player who Jose Mourinho sidelined and eventually drove out of Chelsea is Kevin De Bruyne, who was managed by Mourinho in his second spell in charge of Chelsea. De Bruyne joined Chelsea in 2012 from Genk and was sent on loan to Werder Bremen. He returned to Stamford Bridge after impressing for the German club, but Mourinho – who had rejoined Chelsea in the season that the Belgian returned to the Blues – gave him very few opportunities.
The Belgian eventually left the London club in January 2014, moving to Wolfsburg, where he had two fantastic seasons. His superb form earned him a return to the Premier League, joining Manchester City, where he has gone on to become one of the best midfielders in the world.
Mohamed Salah
Current Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah joined Chelsea in the transfer window that De Bruyne left the club, moving to the Blues from Swiss club Basel. Salah was at Chelsea for one year, moving on loan to Fiorentina in the 2015 winter transfer window and then to Roma in the next season.
The Egyptian moved to Roma on a permanent deal, and after a fantastic season where he ended with 19 goals, he, too, returned to the Premier League, joining Liverpool. In his very first season on Merseyside, he ended the season with 44 goals in all competitions – 32 of those came in the league.
Salah has formed a deadly partnership with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino as the trio helped Liverpool to Champions League triumph, and made the records tumble this season in the Premier League.