5 top strikers who failed at Chelsea
Chelsea have become a force to be reckoned with, especially after the arrival of their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich in the early 2000s.
The Blues have grown in stature and pedigree by making a spate of high-profile signings over the years. The likes of Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard, to name a few, have become legends at the club.
However, not all big-name players, especially strikers, have hit gold at the club. On that note, here's a look at five high-profile strikers who failed to get going at Chelsea:
#5 Fernando Torres
It would be a tad harsh to term Fernando Torres a failure at Chelsea. But it is true that the striker largely failed to replicate his Liverpool heroics at Stamford Bridge.
A return of just 45 goals in 180 games is considered underwhelming for someone who tallied almost a goal every two games at Liverpool. Nevertheless, Torres did endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful by scoring against Barcelona at Camp Nou in the 2012 Champions League semis.
The Spaniard ran unopposed before slotting past Victor Valdes to confirm Chelsea's place in their second Champions League final in four years.
9 years ago today, Fernando Torres scored this breakaway goal against Barcelona to send Chelsea to the UCL final! 😯
(via @ChampionsLeague)
https://t.co/c8LpVCE0FV
A few days later, Chelsea would win their first title in the competition, beating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout.
#4 Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata had made his name as a prolific striker at Atletico, and that prompted Chelsea to shell out the big bucks to land his services.
He made a decent start to life at Chelsea, scoring on his Premier League and Champions League debut for the club. A hat-trick against Stoke City meant Morata had six goals in as many league games. But things soon started to go south for Morata, as he scored just five more times in his next 25 league games, owing to a combination of poor form and injuries.
In reality, Morata struggled to come to terms with the physicality and pace of the Premier League. The striker did score the goal that confirmed Chelsea's place in the knockout round of the 2018-19 Europa League. But that was as good as things got for Morata as he didn't play any further part in Chelsea's triumphant campaign that season.
.@AlvaroMorata's goal was decisive on our last Europa League night at Stamford Bridge! 👌
#CFCvBATE https://t.co/SlJyYFzPD7
Morata left Chelsea at the end of the season. He is now at Serie A giants Juventus, on loan from Atletico Madrid.