From Shevchenko to Morata: how Chelsea strikers have (mostly) flopped
Andriy Shevchenko (£30.8m, 2006-09)
Ukraine’s all-time record goalscorer brought huge pedigree from Milan but scored only nine goals in 47 Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
Claudio Pizarro (free, 2007-09)
The Peruvian arrived from Bayern Munich and his two years at Chelsea featured only two goals for the club and a season’s loan at Werder Bremen.
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Nicolas Anelka (£15m, 2008-12)
One of the club’s more successful acquisitions, Anelka’s 59 goals helped Chelsea to a Premier League title and two FA Cups, including the Double in 2009-10.
Franco Di Santo (£3.4m, 2008-10)
Signing Di Santo from Audax Italiano certainly did not work out for Chelsea. The Argentinian failed to score in 16 appearances and became more renowned for what he ended up doing at Wigan.
Daniel Sturridge (£8.3m, 2009-13)
Sturridge spent three and a half years at Chelsea, having arrived from Manchester City, and was part of the Champions League-winning squad. He also scored a decent amount of goals prior to moving onto Liverpool.
Fernando Torres (£50m, 2011-15)
A return of 20 goals in 110 league appearances ultimately did not warrant the club-record fee Chelsea paid Liverpool for ‘El Niño’. He did, however, play a part in the club’s Champions League triumph.
Romelu Lukaku (£18m, 2011-14)
The Belgian was viewed as a natural successor to Didier Drogba but failed to score in 12 appearances. He went on loan to West Brom and Everton before being sold to the latter, eventually ending up at Manchester United.
Patrick Bamford (£1.5m, 2012-17)
Completed six loan spells – at MK Dons, Derby County, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Burnley, without making a single senior appearance for Chelsea.
Demba Ba (£7m, 2013-14)
A short-term fix for Chelsea’s scoring issues, the Senegalese scored big goals during an 18-month spell at the club, including one that still haunts Liverpool supporters.
Demba Ba in action for Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City in 2013. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Samuel Eto’o (free, 2013-14)
One of Africa’s greatest strikers, Eto’o got 12 goals in his sole campaign with Chelsea, including a hat-trick against Manchester United.
Diego Costa (£32m, 2014-17)
One of the greatest and most controversial strikers of the Roman Abramovich era. Costa scored 59 goals in 120 games for Chelsea and played a key role in their title wins of 2015 and 2017. However, he also proved a troublesome presence and fell out with Antonio Conte amid interest from China, which eventually led to Costa returning to Atlético Madrid.
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Didier Drogba (free, 2014-2015)
One of the club’s most adored forwards returned for a second spell at Stamford Bridge during José Mourinho’s second spell and went on to add another Premier League winners’ medal to his collection.
Loïc Rémy (£10.5m, 2014-17)
The Frenchman moved from Queens Park Rangers after Chelsea triggered a £10.5m release clause in his contract. He made little impact and moved to La Liga side Las Palmas in 2017.
Radamel Falcao (loan, 2015-16)
A disastrous loan spell at Manchester United preceded an equally poor period at Chelsea for the Colombian. He scored just once in 12 appearances.
Alexandre Pato (loan, 2016)
Another dismal loan signing. The Brazilian made only two appearances after arriving at Chelsea from Corinthians halfway through the 2015-16 season and scored only one goal.
A rare moment of success for Alexandre Pato during his time at Chelsea – a goal against Aston Villa. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
Michy Batshuayi (£33m, 2016-)
Like his international colleague Lukaku, Batshuayi failed to reach expectations at Chelsea, though he did score the title-winning goal against West Bro in May 2017. Has been on loan at Valencia this season.
Álvaro Morata (£58m, 2017-)
Arrived as a replacement for Costa but has in no way replicated the impact. The Spaniard has scored 24 goals in 72 appearances and is expected to join Atlético during the January transfer window.
Olivier Giroud (£18m, 2018-)
The France international has scored 10 goals in 43 appearances since arriving from Arsenal 12 months ago. Having played second fiddle to Morata, is now expected to do the same to Gonzalo Higuaín.