Firstly, I am sure and can almost guarantee hours and hours of research and discussion goes into every possible transfer the club make. I am sure all of the coaching staff as well as Mourinho all contribute opinions and ideas before making any approach for players, however over the years, a noticeable pattern has occurred. This theory is not relevant for every player Chelsea have signed in years gone by, however many do fit into it.
Players that have previously scored against Chelsea, sometimes in pivotal and important moments have gone on to be targeted and signed by Chelsea. At first, this may not seem that strange, clubs scout players throughout the year and can often use games against certain teams to keep an eye on individual players whom they may be interested in. Or, is there more too it?
Fernando Torres scored a number of goals against Chelsea during his years at Anfield, the Spaniard famously scored a brace against Chelsea before signing for the club that same season for £50m. Torres wasn’t the only Liverpool player, Raul Meireles also scored at Stamford Bridge before making the switch to Stamford Bridge from Anfield.
Sticking with strikers, both Diego Costa and Loic Remy scored against Chelsea at their previous clubs. As well as Chelsea’s latest addition, Radamel Falcao.
Diego Costa scored from the spot for Atletico Madrid in the 2013-14 Champions League semi-final second leg. Atletico went on to win 3-1, with Arda Turan grabbing the third and decisive goal, another player linked with a switch to Chelsea. Costa then signed for Chelsea and played an integral part in recapturing the Premier League title, filling the role of a natural goal scorer that Chelsea have sorely missed since Didier Drogba’s first exit.
Loic Remy netted past Chelsea whilst on loan at Newcastle from Queens Park Rangers. The French striker went on to join Chelsea after Liverpool passed up the option to sign the striker. El Tigre famously dominated Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup, scoring a first half hat-trick and embarrassing Roberto Di Matteo’s side.
Mohamed Salah caused Chelsea some real trouble on the wings during his time at Basel. Salah scored twice in the Champions League and was at times seemingly unplayable. Chelsea would later sign the winger for £11m, however he has not lived up to expectation at Stamford Bridge. Despite making little to no impact, Chelsea look set to make a reasonable profit on the winger who looks set for a move to the Serie A.
Now fan favourite Willian shocked the Stamford Bridge faithful when he scored twice for Shaktar Donestk in the Champions League. The Brazilian attracted a lot of interest before moving to Russian side Anzi Makhachkala. The winger was later up for grabs after the Russian side hit a financial crisis and were forced to sell him and Samuel Eto’o. Tottenham came calling and were front runners to sign the Brazilian. During the final stages of the deal, Chelsea pipped Tottenham to the signing and the Brazil chose Stamford Bridge, partly why he is so loved by the Chelsea fans.
Many years ago, the magic man himself Cesc Fabregas scored for Arsenal against Chelsea, despite Arsene Wenger’s side not enjoying a great run against the Blues over the years.
At times, it has looked like Chelsea have brought players so other teams cannot have them, a useful tactic some might say. However I am sure this is not the case, the strange pattern could continue in the not too distant future, as I previously mentioned Arda Turan has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. As well as Charlie Austin being linked should Loic Remy depart this summer. Both have scored previously against Chelsea. To reiterate, I am sure this pattern if you could call it that, plays no part in Chelsea’s transfer thoughts, however it is one useful way of spotting talent.
Who would you like to see Chelsea sign that has scored against them?
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