From Kante to Giroud to Raphinha? Chelsea’s success in buying Premier League stars

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea’s push to sign Raphinha from Leeds in the summer should come as little surprise in the context of the club’s recent transfer dealings.

While the Blues have enjoyed hit after hit when recruiting from within the Premier League, they have seen their recent big-money acquisitions from abroad flop.

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Romelu Lukaku was signed from Inter in the summer for a club-record fee but has struggled to integrate into the side, while before him Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have not hit the heights that were expected of them.

In contrast, Chelsea’s recruitment from within the Premier League has typically been far more successful.

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Chelsea’s Premier League recruiting hits

Chelsea’s last big acquisition from England’s top flight was Ben Chilwell from Leicester in the summer of 2020. Although he has suffered a serious injury this term, there is little doubt that he is now regarded as one of the division’s foremost left wing-backs and an automatic starter when available.

Although his £45 million fee may initially have looked big, assuming Chilwell can recover from injury to regain his previous level, there is little doubt that the Blues will get their money’s worth.

Prior to that, Olivier Giroud was captured from Arsenal in January 2018. Though the Frenchman was into the veteran stage of his career even at that juncture, he proved an asset to the Stamford Bridge side, scoring 39 goals in 119 appearances before departing in the summer of 2021 to Milan.

Giroud’s influence extended to more than just finding the net. He was a valuable pivot for the side offensively and provided a focal point in a way that no other player of his era was able to with the Blues.

Of course, during the 2017/18 season, Chelsea spent lavishly on Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley. Both remain at the club, albeit the former is presently on loan at Reading. Drinkwater at around £35m must be regarded as one of the worst pieces of business the club has ever done.

Chelsea’s decision to spend so big on Drinkwater, though, would have been fuelled by the runaway success of his former Leicester club-mate N’Golo Kante, who arrived a year earlier for a smaller fee. Kante has only affirmed his reputation as being one of the best players of his generation in his role and has even become the archetype for a modern defensive midfield player, winning the World Cup in the process.

A modest fee was spent on Loic Remy back in 2014, but injury restricted him to just 32 Premier League appearances over three years. A return of nine goals was no disgrace in the circumstances.

Asmir Begovic and Mark Schwarzer are the only other players to arrive in the first team from Premier League clubs since 2012/13. Both correctly carried out their duties as back-up goalkeepers over that period.

Chelsea, then, have not dipped into the Premier League transfer market often over the last decade, but when they have, they have a track record of getting it right. Raphinha, they hope, will be the next big hit.