The Chelsea fans here in the Football Transfer Tavern have seen a fair few flops come through the doors at Stamford Bridge…

Chelsea’s transfer failings have been well documented in recent years, with the Blues often spending big bucks on players that have failed to live up to the hype that surrounded them.

Over the years, even prior to the arrival of Roman Abramovich, the Blues have been prone to a costly transfer mistake; with the Chelsea brass often failing to correct scout out a player properly prior to their purchase.

Everyone knows about players like Fernando Torres and Andriy Shevchenko – high profile signings that failed on the highest stage; but what of the less well-known players?

Players that might have gone under the radar, or perhaps players that came prior to the introduction of Abramovich’s millions?

With that said, here are FOUR dismal flops only die-hard Chelsea fans will remember…

Chris Sutton

Starting off with a blast from the past, Chris Sutton was the first in a long line of disappointing Chelsea striking signings; and he could rival some of the Blues latest flops for his failure to adapt to life in a Chelsea shirt.

Sutton signed for Chelsea in 1999 for £10 million – a price tag that was huge at its time.

He played for the club for just a season – and it is easy to see why given how well he performed for the club.

He scored just 1 league goal in 28 appearances, and failed to make the match day squad for the FA Cup Final, proving how little he was thought of by the Chelsea brass.

For a transfer fee that would turn heads even today; Chris Sutton was an absolute flop.

Yuri Zhirkov

Yuri Zhirkov was quite clearly a Roman Abrahomivich signing, and his spell at the Blues never really worked out.

His massive transfer fee only made things worse for Chelsea fans in the Tavern.

Aside from one incredible goal against Spartak Moscow – Zhirkov did very little in a Chelsea shirt.

He stayed with the club for two years, yet made just 29 league appearances – a testament to how little the Chelsea brass trusted him.

He would later be sold to Anzi for a loss, with his game time dwindling.

Mineiro

Whilst Mineiro’s spell at Chelsea was less than a season long – he still gets a mention in this list for the simple fact that absolutely nobody in the Football Transfer Tavern – even the most diehard of Chelsea fans – remember that he actually turned out for the Blues.

Admittedly, he did play just one league game for the Blues – but that is a testament to just how bad of a signing he was.

He was brought in as a third choice midfielder, but you would have expected him to make it into the first team at least a few times! Just one start, in a cup game, and the Brazilian was sent packing to Germany…

…never to be heard of again – until now!

Our landlord has absolutely no idea who he is.

Winston Bogarde

Winston Bogarde is a well-known name amongst the most passionate of the Chelsea faithful in the Football Transfer Tavern; but the ridiculousness of his deal at Chelsea still boggles the mind.

He was offered a four-year deal worth €15 million, which he duly agreed too.

However, following a managerial change, amongst a host of other issues; Bogarde failed to ever get his foot in the door at Chelsea.

Over the course of four years, he made just 9 appearances – collecting a tidy £2 million per year.

An absolute horror signing. Our landlord cannot believe this one was allowed to happen…