Five most overrated players to have played for Chelsea FC

With players coming in and going out regularly, a huge number of players have represented Chelsea at the senior level. Some of them become club legends and icons while some simply play their part in a big squad. Some players, however, are rated highly by the media but just don’t produce much on the pitch to justify that hype. Here we’ll see who makes the top 5 in this list of most overrated Chelsea players.

#1: Willian

At the top of this list is Willian who moved to Chelsea FC from Anzhi Makhachkala for a fee of 32 million in the summer of 2013.

During his time at the club, he has scored 59 goals in 329 appearances, which is simply not good enough for a right winger. To his credit, he is very hardworking and helps out a lot defensively. However, he has the task of creating and scoring goals which he rarely does. He is loved by a big section of the Chelsea fans for his public hatred towards Tottenham after he rejected them post having a medical with the North Londoners.

His best season at Stamford Bridge was the 17-18 one, where he scored 13 goals in 55 appearances. The Brazillian is rated very highly by many, but it is hard to see why. He publically insulted Antonio Conte after he was sacked by the manager, further showing that he does not take his time at the bench very well.

Willian has spent 7 years at the club and finally looks set to leave after failing to agree on contract terms with the club.

Stats as on April 2020

#2: Deco

Two-time Champions League winner Deco came to West London in the summer of 2008 as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first signing. Deco was widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world after he won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with 2 separate clubs.

He had an instant impact at the club, scoring 2 absolute worldies in his first 2 matches for the club. He subsequently won the Premier League player of the month award in his very first month in the Premier League. A thigh injury kept him out for September but he was back by late October. He scored a bicycle kick as Chelsea FC faced Bolton in December. He had a less spectacular second half of the season in which he failed to score a single goal. He was also dropped from the squad in a few matches.

He publically stated that he wanted to leave in the summer of 2009 and Inter were interested, however, the deal didn’t go through. With the arrival of Carlo Ancelloti, Deco seemed to be himself again as he looked confident on the ball and wanted to create things. He had another brilliant start to the season, assisting and scoring goals at will. However, injuries struck again as he struggled to get back to fitness until the Christmas period. He returned in the new year and put in some good performances, however, he was not the same Deco who had won the Champions League with Porto and Barcelona.

He left in the summer of 2010 for Fluminese after his contract was up.

#3: Oscar

Oscar moved to Chelsea FC from Brazilian club Internacional for a fee of around 20 million. In the following 4 and a half seasons at the club, Oscar scored 38 goals in 203 appearances. The Brazilian had set huge standards after he scored one of the best Champions League goals ever against Juventus in his debut in the competition against Juventus. He became a regular part of Di Matteo’s midfield along with Hazard and Mata. Oscar was scoring regularly in Europe as he put in 5 in his 6 appearances in the group stage.

He was an important part of the Chelsea FC side that ultimately won the Europa League after crashing out of the Champions League group stage. The 13-14 season was also pretty solid for the Brazilian as he scored 11 goals in 47 appearances, but far from world-class as he was often declared. His performances just deteriorated in the following seasons. He often scored goals in successive matches but then went cold for several matches after that.

Oscar was very inconsistent but was hardworking, a quality that used to keep him in Mourinho’s XI. He was dropped from the squad entirely after Antonio Conte’s arrival in 2016 as the Italian’s system had no space for a typical number 10. He left in January 2017 for China as the club made a hefty profit from his transfer.

#4: Alonso

Alonso came in at Chelsea FC in the summer of 2016, as the club were still looking for an Ashley Cole replacement. It seemed like an odd move at first because Azpilicueta was still filling in at left-back for the first few games of the season. However, Alonso was brought on in the second half of the match against Arsenal which changed Chelsea FC’s fortunes for the season. He was the left wing-back in a system that involved three center-backs. This position suited Alonso perfectly as his lack of pace was not highlighted because of Gary Cahill filling in for him during his ventures forward.

The Spaniard became a brilliant attacking threat and contributed goals regularly from the unconventional left-back spot. The former Fiorentina man is perhaps one of the best in the world from his left-wing back spot but as a left back, he is regularly exposed. His lack of pace is often exploited by opposing wingers and his inability to get to the byline is frustrating. Alonso has a habit of passing into the winger and going in the box himself, which sees him score goals often. But, this habit of his makes Chelsea FC’s attack very predictable and one-dimensional.

Alonso is perhaps worth keeping for the occasional change in the system, but in a team that plays four at the back, his presence is not worth it. His ability to score goals is often lauded by pundits but his lack of defensive skill more than often puts him in the cons list at Chelsea FC.

#5: David Luiz

David Luiz has spent 6 years at Chelsea FC in 2 spells of 3 years each. He moved to Chelsea first in January 2011 from Benfica in a deal which saw Nemanja Matic move in the opposite direction. In his first spell, he won the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League. He started the Champions League final alongside Gary Cahill in the center-back spot.

David Luiz had the brilliant ability on the ball and was very successful in playing out from the back, with his vision coming in particularly handy to spot direct balls into the final third. However, he was very erratic as a defender and had very little discipline. He was often referred to as a FIFA defender as he tended to go out of position very easily. He also played a considerable number of games in the holding midfield position screening the defense, which allowed him to get forward every once in a while.

He left the club in a 50 million pound deal which made him the most expensive defender in the world at that time and it seemed Chelsea FC had gotten rid of an inconsistent defender for a big profit.

Luiz had a good spell at PSG where he partnered his national captain Thiago Silva in defense. 2 years later, he moved back to Chelsea FC in a 35 million deal on deadline day. It looked like a panic buy as Chelsea FC were in desperate need of defensive reinforcements.

He slotted in the sweeper role in Conte’s three-man defense. He had a successful spell in this position and Chelsea FC lifted the Premier League as the Brazillian was a mainstay in the side. The sweeper role suited the Brazilian as he had the time to spot direct passes into the final third all the while having some positional freedom.

Luiz, however, was always an inconsistent defender and was completely useless during his off days, which used to happen often. Luiz was a leader of men but it seems like Lampard got a good deal when he allowed Luiz to leave, as Fikayo Tomori has done very well for himself following the Brazillian’s departure.

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