Transfer Window: Chelsea’s five most expensive signings

Chelsea look likely to continue to be active during the remainder of the current summer transfer window, with Jules Kounde and Presnel Kimpembe reportedly close to joining the Blues. 

Thomas Tuchel has already completed the acquisitions of Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, and is now focussed on adding further reinforcements.

The deal to lure Sterling from Manchester City cost the Blues more than £50 million, but that puts him only eighth on the list of the club’s most expensive ever signings.

Chelsea have never been afraid to spend big, but some of their previous big money arrivals have achieved differing levels of success.

Here, we take a look at Chelsea’s five most expensive signing of all time.

5. Christian Pulisic – £57.6 million

US international Pulisic officially signed for Chelsea in January 2019, but spent the remainder of that campaign on loan with former club Borussia Dortmund before making the move to the capital. The forward’s time in west London has been relatively successful, although he hasn’t shown too many glimpses of the form that persuaded Chelsea to splash out on him. The 23-year-old has scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists in 114 games for the Blues, surpassing his goal tally for the German side in fewer matches.

Pulisic has been linked with a move away from Chelsea

4. Alvaro Morata – £59.4 million

Morata arrived at Chelsea in 2017 having scored 20 goals the previous season and he continued his fine form at the start of his Blues career, scoring six times in his first six Premier League games. He struggled during the second half of the campaign, though, scoring just once after the turn of the year. He was loaned to Atletico Madrid midway through the following campaign, and later made his move permanent, with Chelsea recouping the vast majority of the fee they paid for the player through loan fees and a £31.5 million transfer sum. The striker scored 24 goals in 72 games for Chelsea.

Morata endured a tough time in London

3. Kepa Arrizabalaga – £72 million

It is difficult to believe that Kepa is still the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in history, considering that the Spaniard has started just ten Premier League games over the past two seasons. The ‘keeper arrived from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 and enjoyed a relatively successful debut season, before a huge decrease in form prompted the Blues to sign Edouard Mendy as their new first choice between the sticks. The 27-year-old hasn’t yet regained his starting spot, and has been linked with a move away from the club in recent months.

2. Kai Havertz

Havertz joined Chelsea in the summer of 2020 after impressing in his homeland with Bayer Leverkusen. Arguably the most successful signing on this list, he wrote himself into Chelsea folklore during his first season with the club by scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City last year. The Germany international may be some way off of justifying his huge price tag, but his tally of 23 goals and 14 assists in 92 games for the club is certainly respectable. Havertz may find himself as Tuchel’s primary striker this season, which could give him the chance to prove his worth.

Havertz scored the goal that gave Chelsea their second Champions League trophy

1. Romelu Lukaku – £101.7 million

The success of Lukaku’s return to Chelsea can be gauged by the fact that, just 12 months on, he has already returned to former club Inter Milan on loan. The Belgian first left Chelsea back in 2014 but returned last summer for an astronomical fee. He netted on his second debut for the club against Arsenal, and scored a brace a few weeks later against Aston Villa. Then came an interview with Italian TV, during which the striker spoke of his disappointment at Tuchel’s system and his desire to return to Italy. The forward, who was also suffering with injuries at times, was then dropped to the bench for large parts of the season, and scored only five more goals in the league. He then joined Inter once again at the start of the window, for a loan fee of just a little over £7 million.

The Blues may well add to their squad during the closing weeks of the window, and they may even add a new name to their list of record signings. If they do, they will be hoping to avoid another Lukaku-style situation.