Chelsea players who improved after leaving Chelsea

[horsechoker]

Robben
Salah
De Bruyne
Lukaku?
Courtois?

Are there more?

Over recent years I've noticed that Chelsea have very successfully offloaded players for big fees while said player has regressed at their new club.

Chelsea are annoyingly improving themselves whilst damaging other teams.

It's getting to the point where Chelsea players should be avoided, we've suffered this with Mata and Matic. Arsenal similarly have suffered with Cech, Luiz and Willian. Madrid likewise got fleeced on Hazard.

 

[Zaphod2319]

We use them up!! The rapid decline of Hazard was shocking. The other aspect is some of them plump up within a month of leaving.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Matic was very good for us when he joined. Age just caught up with him.

 

[Tarrou]

Bamford
Rice
Ake

 

[WeePat]

We let Matic go twice. He improved immensely the first time that we bought him back for £20m.

Musiala, Rice, Boga maybe, if we're considering players we let go from the academy.

But to be honest, the guys you listed is a bad enough list. How many have United let go that turned into fecking KDB and Salah playing for our direct rivals?

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Arjen Robben.

 

[Champ]

Cortouis for sure,
Tomori for sure,
Ake is a dubious one but I would include him,
Zouma for sure,
Abraham for sure,
Bamford for sure,
Thorgan Hazard for sure,
Alex (Dubious again)
Morata

Off the top of my head.

 

[Maluco]

Lamptey and Livramento are well on their way.

Tomori has already improved at Milan I think.

Courtois has arguably peaked at Madrid, while they haven’t improved on him.

And yeah, Salah and de Bruyne are two of the worst transfer mistakes of all time.

But yeah, they are generally great at selling at the right time, and we are probably the worst top club at it. We currently have about 10 players that should have been sold years ago.

 

[WeePat]

Cortouis for sure,
Tomori for sure,
Ake is a dubious one but I would include him,
Zouma for sure,
Abraham for sure,
Bamford for sure,
Thorgan Hazard for sure,
Alex (Dubious again)
Morata

Off the top of my head.

Thorgan Hazard is a very good shout actually. Tomori has definitely improved. Surely the jury is still out on the players who left 4 months ago, like Abraham and Zouma

Bamford was a very long road though. He spent years and years in the second tier before proving himself in the PL last season. Morata, no chance. He's still the same Morata was with us. Ake, fair enough but if we're including him we could include other decent/average-ish players who had decent PL careers like PvA, Romeu, Bertrand etc. I don't think those players necessarily improved. They were just always just about good enough to be a PL level player, but they were never Chelsea or even just CL level.

 

[Dan_F]

We let Matic go twice. He improved immensely the first time that we bought him back for £20m.

Musiala, Rice, Boga maybe, if we're considering players we let go from the academy.

But to be honest, the guys you listed is a bad enough list. How many have United let go that turned into fecking KDB and Salah playing for our direct rivals?

That would require us to actually try to sell or release players. feck me, we still have players like Matić and Mata signing contract extensions in their mid 30s, let alone selling players before they hit their prime.

 

[Blackwidow]

Arjen Robben.

Arjen Robben profited from the circumstances in Munich, the playing style, the position and his triangle with Lahm and Müller.

This might be the case with every of the mentioned players - the situation they come in is very important, too. Musiala e.g. got the chances at Bayern with the Covid break (U19 stopped playing, the U23 already had players in his position, so they let him exercise with the professionals and he got chances to show himself). DeBruyne at Wolfsburg had a very good coach for him and a system that helped him, too.

 

[Lewnited]

Yep they're masters at it
We're like the anti-Chelsea tbh, players come here and turn to shite

 

[Champ]

Thorgan Hazard is a very good shout actually. Tomori has definitely improved. Surely the jury is still out on the players who left 4 months ago, like Abraham and Zouma

Bamford was a very long road though. He spent years and years in the second tier before proving himself in the PL last season. Morata, no chance. He's still the same Morata was with us. Ake, fair enough but if we're including him we could include other decent/average-ish players who had decent PL careers like PvA, Romeu, Bertrand etc. I don't think those players necessarily improved. They were just always just about good enough to be a PL level player, but they were never Chelsea or even just CL level.

Ake was clutching to be fair, I included him as he has won the premiership at City, he may not be a massive improvement on what he was back then.

I think Morata has been better abroad than he was at Chelsea, not hard really but again I can see how it can be debatable for sure!

I think Abraham has shown more promise at Roma then he had at Chelsea but it may be too soon to tell as sometimes he still looks like Bambi on ice, check his goal out the other week

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Am I right in remembering Robben being subbed on then off again in the cup final before he left

 

[Dancfc]

Out of the one's you listed in the last paragraph only Mata and too an extent Hazard was a shock.

The rest so quite clearly were past the point of (consistently) showing their very best, that's on the club's for signing them.

 

[André Dominguez]

This could be applied to many top clubs: top clubs buy too many young prospects that some of them eventually have to move on because they need to play to improve, and they won't be having gametime if they stay.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

But to be honest, the guys you listed is a bad enough list. How many have United let go that turned into fecking KDB and Salah playing for our direct rivals?

Nobody for direct rivals and to that level unless you go back to the Paul Ince or Beardsley days. Cristiano is the big one, probably the closest after that is Di Maria and Pogba when he when to Juventus but still not at the level of those two names.

I guess we can claim Lukaku as well.

 

[duffer]

Mbappe.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

We let Matic go twice. He improved immensely the first time that we bought him back for £20m.

Musiala, Rice, Boga maybe, if we're considering players we let go from the academy.

But to be honest, the guys you listed is a bad enough list. How many have United let go that turned into fecking KDB and Salah playing for our direct rivals?

Januzaj was the one who looked to have the biggest potential of making us look stupid. I was worried about Guiseppe Rossi too but his injuries really finished him, poor lad.

In real terms, Forlan is probably the player who most excelled after being deemed not good enough at United. Although nobody disagreed about moving him on at the time.

Chicarito too, maybe? But big bundesliga asterisk over his post-United goalscoring exploits.

 

[Oranges038]

Papa Djilobodji.

 

[DOTA]

Januzaj was the one who looked to have the biggest potential of making us look stupid. I was worried about Guiseppe Rossi too but his injuries really finished him, poor lad.

In real terms, Forlan is probably the player who most excelled after being deemed not good enough at United. Although nobody disagreed about moving him on at the time.

Chicarito too, maybe? But big bundesliga asterisk over his post-United goalscoring exploits.

Are we not counting Pique on the grounds that we wouldn't have sold if he didn't ask us to? Can't say I've got a clue how many of the Chelsea players listed that could apply to.

 

[Bole Top]

Cuadrado?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Are we not counting Pique on the grounds that we wouldn't have sold if he didn't ask us to? Can't say I've got a clue how many of the Chelsea players listed that could apply to.

Oh yeah. Pique. Good shout. He’s probably the closest to Salah/KdB. Although having never excelled in the league we play in we can comfort ourselves that (like Forlan) he would only look that good in La Liga (not convinced myself)

 

[DOTA]

Oh yeah. Pique. Good shout. He’s probably the closest to Salah/KdB. Although having never excelled in the league we play in we can comfort ourselves that (like Forlan) he would only look that good in La Liga (not convinced myself)

I'm still kind of annoyed about Forlan, despite reckoning we could've stuck by him for years more and it wouldn't have happened for us. The player he became was just so what I want in a forward.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I'm still kind of annoyed about Forlan, despite reckoning we could've stuck by him for years more and it wouldn't have happened for us. The player he became was just so what I want in a forward.

Such a lovely fella too. With hindsight you could see that he was starting to turn the corner right before he left. Not that it mattered. We coped just fine in his absence.

I kind of still hope Greenwood could become a similar player. Absolute rocket in both feet.

 

[WeePat]

Oh yeah. Pique. Good shout. He’s probably the closest to Salah/KdB. Although having never excelled in the league we play in we can comfort ourselves that (like Forlan) he would only look that good in La Liga (not convinced myself)

Yeah Pique is a really good shout actually. Pogba absolutely falls into this category. Perhaps Lukaku too but I know you lot don't rate him and whether he's even improved hugely debatable.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Yeah Pique is a really good shout actually. Pogba absolutely falls into this category. Perhaps Lukaku too but I know you lot don't rate him and whether he's even improved hugely debatable.

The thing is, they all fall in the “flopped at United, thrived in another league” category, which is a lot less painful than seeing an ex-player playing superbly in the PL. Especially when they’re underwhelming after coming back to the PL (Lukaku and Pogba)

Although the joke’s on us re Pogba

 

[WeePat]

The thing is, they all fall in the “flopped at United, thrived in another league” category, which is a lot less painful than seeing an ex-player playing superbly in the PL. Especially when they’re underwhelming after coming back to the PL (Lukaku and Pogba)

Although the joke’s on us re Pogba

Yeah nothing any club can bring to this table can top watching KDB and Salah be the two best players in the league for your direct rivals. Not only that but often torch you with top class performances against you. Feck me.

 

[JPRouve]

Yeah nothing any club can bring to this table can top watching KDB and Salah be the two best players in the league for your direct rivals. Not only that but often torch you with top class performances against you. Feck me.

Particularly when they both simply wanted to play, it's not as if they actually underperformed for you. You jus had a manager that refused to play them and lied about their performances on the training ground.

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

Cuadrado?

He was fecking rubbish with us.

Robben was great, i was gutted he went. Alex the CB didnt improve after leaving here, he was at his best with us IMO

Salah and KDB are the main ones, along with Lukaku, who really didnt get much of a chance, neither did the former 2.

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

Particularly when they both simply wanted to play, it's not as if they actually underperformed for you. You jus had a manager that refused to play them and lied about their performances on the training ground.

True, but Salah more often than not was woeful for us. And his shooting was laughable, many shots i remember hitting the corner flag or going out for throw ins

 

[ZolaWasMagic]

Cortouis for sure,
Tomori for sure,
Ake is a dubious one but I would include him,
Zouma for sure,
Abraham for sure,
Bamford for sure,
Thorgan Hazard for sure,
Alex (Dubious again)
Morata

Off the top of my head.

Agree apart from Alex, Abraham and Zouma all better with us. Latter 2 cant judge yet, though

Other than that - Cuadrado was better when he left. Salah, KDB obviously, Lukaku. Then if you are looking at "lesser" players you'v got like Bertrand Traore, Robert Huth, Carlton Cole. etc

Cant include Rice as someone did above because he left at 14, so didnt have a career here to compare. Same with like Bamford. Otherwise you'd be including people like Jermaine Beckford, Johan berg Gudmundsson, Dom Solanke, van Aanholt, Nketiah, Boga, List would go on and on haha

Going back a bit further, Glen Johnson to an extent

But overall, when we sell the big name players, they tend to have had their best years with us and dont do it at their new club. Luiz, Cech, Carvalho i suppose, Hazard, Duff, Willian, Joe Cole id say were all better here than at their new clubs, and arguably in their careers

 

[Bebestation]

Seems this happens when players leave younger rather than when they are older.

Cech, Willian, Luiz, Hazard vs Salah, De Bruyne, Rice, Robben, Lukaku


Arguably same with us -

Pogba, Pique were players that got better since they left when they were younger.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Basically if we want chelsea players, just take their young players not take the ones near 30. Although, the same cannot be said on morata and bakayoko.

 

[UsualSuspect]

Particularly when they both simply wanted to play, it's not as if they actually underperformed for you. You jus had a manager that refused to play them and lied about their performances on the training ground.

Not quite. Both Salah and KDB were competing against prime Mata, Hazard and Oscar. Nevermind Schurrle and Willian as well. And both deserved to only be rotation options in that squad. It's just one of those issues with timing - like if Lamptey and Livramento blow up, opposition fans could claim some more bs about not seeing their talent when in reality both youngsters simply saw a Reece James sized rock in front of them.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Not quite. Both Salah and KDB were competing against prime Mata, Hazard and Oscar. Nevermind Schurrle and Willian as well. And both deserved to only be rotation options in that squad. It's just one of those issues with timing - like if Lamptey and Livramento blow up, opposition fans could claim some more bs about not seeing their talent when in reality both youngsters simply saw a Reece James sized rock in front of them.

It's a similar situation to what ours with Pogba was about 10 years ago. It's possible that none of these players would have flourished as much as they did had they remained at their clubs. Sometimes, leaving and escaping the shadows of established mainstays helps you. And that's what happened with Salah and KDB. And Pogba.

 

[JPRouve]

Not quite. Both Salah and KDB were competing against prime Mata, Hazard and Oscar. Nevermind Schurrle and Willian as well. And both deserved to only be rotation options in that squad. It's just one of those issues with timing - like if Lamptey and Livramento blow up, opposition fans could claim some more bs about not seeing their talent when in reality both youngsters simply saw a Reece James sized rock in front of them.

They weren't rotation options though, at no point did I suggest that they should have been nailed on starters but they were barely on the bench. And it's not as if someone like Schurrle was pulling any trees or that Mata was actually relied on(Mourinho sold him at the first opportunity). So the reality is that Mourinho had three starters and he couldn't be bothered to give a chance to two clearly talented young players. But anyway the point that I made is that neither of them failed at Chelsea, their issue was simply game time.

 

[GoonerBear]

To be honest, the ages we signed Cech, Luiz & Willian at, you were never going to expect them to improve. They were all stop gap signings to varying degrees.

 

[horsechoker]

To be honest, the ages we signed Cech, Luiz & Willian at, you were never going to expect them to improve. They were all stop gap signings to varying degrees.

The thing is, these players virtually made Arsenal worse. Maybe it's coincidence but since getting rid of these players and not signing Chelsea rejects, Arsenal have improved. I firmly believe these players just wanted to stay in London and have an easy ride as they came towards the end of their careers.

 

[GoonerBear]

The thing is, these players virtually made Arsenal worse. Maybe it's coincidence but since getting rid of these players and not signing Chelsea rejects, Arsenal have improved. I firmly believe these players just wanted to stay in London and have an easy ride as they came towards the end of their careers.

Hard to argue with that. Not sure of Cech made Arsenal worse because the bar was low when he joined, think he won the Golden Glove in his first season, but he certainly didn't hit the heights of his peak Chelsea days.

Luiz was just Luiz, good for some games & capable of the ridiculous in others.

Willian was the 1 that really fell of a cliff, but he pretty much didn't want to be there from a couple of months in, & we defo didn't want him either. Fair play to him for giving up the rest of his contract to leave mind you.