5 Chelsea’s All-Time Best Right-Wingers

Chelsea have always been stacked at right-wing, be it in the prime Mourinho era with Joe Cole and Arjen Robben or in Antonio Conte’s title-winning side with Pedro and Willian. The right-winger has more often than not proved to be a creative source in the Chelsea set-up and here we’ll see who has been the best in the club’s history.

5 All-Time Best Right-Wingers at Chelsea

5. Arjen Robben

Arjen Robben was bought from PSV in the summer of 2004 after winning a bidding war against Manchester United. Robben, however, got injured in a friendly match in pre-season where he broke a bone in his foot. He came back from injury in November 2004 immediately winning the Player of the Month award, scoring 7 in that one month alone. Robben had not yet become the scoring sensation he is now, but the signs were there. With the electric pace and some polished finishing ability, he slotted in both the flanks, i.e wherever Mourinho needed him to play.

He had an injury-laden career at Chelsea but he always proved to be a pivotal part of the Chelsea set-up whenever he did play. He won the league title twice, the FA Cup and the League Cup in his 3 years at the club and will always be remembered for setting up the winning goal for Didier Drogba in the 2007 League Cup final after coming on as a substitute.

4. Willian Borges da Silva

Bought from Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013, Willian is still a part of the club 7 years later (as in 2020). Willian had previously undergone a medical at rival-club Tottenham which confused many, as to which club he was actually signing for. Willian later revealed that he would have signed for Tottenham only if the deal with Chelsea would have fallen through.

The Brazilian is a hard-working, fast and a gifted player. He is known for his quick feet and acceleration which allows him to dribble past opponents at speed whilst keeping close control of the ball. His high work rate, vision and creativity allows him to link-up play between the deeper-lying midfielders and the forwards to create goalscoring chances.

During the 2015–16 season, while Chelsea was undergoing a major dip, post their title win in 2014-15, he showed his prowess at direct free-kicks, with almost all his goals coming from set-pieces. This led to him being named as the club’s player of the year. Willian’s offensive output is often criticized but he is a brilliant ball-carrier and he helps the team retain possession in the final third.

Stats Until April 2020:

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3.  Pat Nevin

Pat Nevin arrived from Celtic in 1983 when Chelsea had almost been relegated to the third division. Manager John Neal changed the team radically and at the very heart of it, came Pat. Nicknamed “Wee Pat” due to his short stature, he was a skilful and a pacy winger who often dazzled defenders with his twinkling feet. In 1983–84, he scored 14 goals, created numerous opportunities for the likes of Dixon and Speedie and put in some brilliant performances, as Chelsea won promotion as Second Division champions. He won the Chelsea player of the year in the very same year.

Chelsea finished sixth in the top division the following season, a significant step-up from almost being relegated a couple of years back. Chelsea was just off the top spots and they remained there for a couple of years. However, the club’s performances dropped as they finished 14th in the 86-87 season with Pat being named as the Player of the Year again.

2. Charlie Cooke

Cooke signed for Chelsea from Aberdeen in April 1966 for a then club record of £72,000 as part of manager Tommy Docherty’s restructuring of the Chelsea side.

In the following season, on his debut, he blitzed past World-Cup winning captain Bobby Moore on his way to score the winner against cross-town rivals, West Ham. Owing to a rift between Docherty and his players, several big names left, which meant Cooke took the place of Bert Murray on the right-wing. When the post World Cup tactics limited the use of the winger, Cooke was often played in a deeper right midfield role behind Tommy Baldwin.

In the early 1970s, Cooke was one of the star players in an attacking Chelsea side, alongside Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson and Ian Hutchinson. This side won the 1970 FA Cup beating close rivals Leeds, as well as the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners Cup against Real Madrid. Cooke spent 13 seasons at the club making 373 appearances in all.

1. Gianfranco Zola

Zola joined Chelsea in 1996 alongside several continental players signed by Ruud Gullit and he remains the best ever right-winger to play for the club.

In his debut season, he demonstrated his skill and talent, and put in several notable performances, scoring a series of memorable goals.

He was a key player in Chelsea’s resurgence in the 1996–97 season, helping them win the FA Cup with a 2–0 win over Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium. He had also scored four goals en route to the final, including a 25-yard curler against Liverpool as Chelsea came from 0–2 behind to win 4–2, and a remarkable goal in the semi-final against Wimbledon, which showed everything Zola was about, as he backheeled the ball and turned 180 degrees before putting it in the back of the net.

In the 1997–98 season, Zola helped Chelsea win three more trophies, the League Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Even though he was injured for the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final against Stuttgart, he still played an important part in Chelsea’s victory, as he came on in the second half as a substitute and scored the winning goal after barely 30 seconds.

As years went on, he saw his chances being limited with new manager Claudio Ranieri preferring the younger attacking pair of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Icelandic youngster Eidur Gudjohnsen. 

In early 2003, Zola was voted as the best ever Chelsea player by fans. In 2005, Zola was honoured a place in the Chelsea F.C. Centenary Eleven as a striker in a 4-4-2 formation. No other Chelsea player has held Zola’s number 25 shirt since his departure, prompting some to report that the squad number has been retired.

ALSO READ: 5 Best Chelsea Strikers Of All-Time

Honourable mentions who were the top contenders for the Greatest Chelsea Right-wingers List:

• Pedro
• Bobby Campbell