There are just five days remaining of the summer transfer window, and reports today suggest Chelsea are the team to keep an eye on.
Some have suggested the reigning Premier League champions are poised to spend close to £150million in the coming days as they look to lure Everton’s John Stones and Juventus star Paul Pogba to Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho is set to spend big after a disappointing start to the season, which has seen the Blues take just four points from a possible nine.
Of course there is plenty of football still to be played, and everything could look very different once the transfer window closes – just as long as Mourinho avoids past mistakes such as these – the top five worst Chelsea transfers of the past 10 years…
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Click on Jose Mourinho to reveal the top five worst Chelsea transfers of the past 10 years
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Andriy Shevchenko
Chelsea fans were delighted with the signing of Andriy Shevchenko in the summer of 2006, with the Ukraine international arriving from AC Milan in a deal worth £30million.
At the time, Shevchenko was considered one of the top strikers in Europe.
Yet he never settled in England, and failed to make any sort of impact as Chelsea’s leading striker. It was reported that a disagreement between Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich over the signing led to Mourinho’s dismissal in 2007.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Shaun Wright-Phillips arrived as an England international and one of the countries brightest young prospects in the summer of 2006, but the monumental £24million transfer fee seemed to hamper him from the word go.
He was rarely used from the start by Mourinho, and struggled for form and confidence during his time at Stamford Bridge.
It is considered a move that not only cost Chelsea a great deal, but one that restricted Wright-Phillips potential at a crucial point in his career.
Tal Ben-Haim
One of the strangest signings in Chelsea’s history. Having just missed out on the Premier League to Manchester United, Roman Abramovich decided it was best to shop in the bargain bins during the summer of 2007, and this is what Jose Mourinho came up with.
Tal Ben-Haim sent the alarm bells ringing in just his second game for the Blues, when Fernando Torres made him look a fool during a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
Mourinho was out of a job not long after the signing was completed, and the Avram Grant era began.
Steve Sidwell
Tal Ben-Haim wasn’t the only bargain basement buy to arrive that summer, with Steve Sidwell completing a free transfer to Stamford Bridge from Reading.
Unsurprisingly, Sidwell was out of his depth from the word go, and made absolutely no impact for the Blues.
The strange decision to give him the number 9 shirt means Sidwell has perhaps the unwanted title of being the worst number 9 to ever play for Chelsea – and Franco Di Santo even had it at one point!
Fernando Torres
Chelsea fans will point to the fact Torres left Stamford Bridge with Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League winners medals.
But there is no denying that Torres was never the same player he was at Liverpool after he moved to Stamford Bridge.
The drama and headlines it created alongside the massive £50million fee means that with hindsight it would have been a move best left alone.
