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On this day: Dennis Wise swaps Chelsea for Leicester City

:Headline: On this day: Dennis Wise swaps Chelsea for Leicester City: ID:228872: from db_amp
Fourteen years ago today, Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise completed his move to Leicester City.

Since the inception of the Premier League 23 years ago, few clubs have seen players come and go at such a high rate as Chelsea. Particularly during the 1990s and early 2000s, there seemed to be a revolving door at Stamford Bridge.

Yet, throughout much of that period of uncertainty, one man remained an almost constant presence.

Dennis Wise joined the West Londoners from Wimbledon in 1990 for £1.6m and his tenacious style resulted in him becoming a legend among the Chelsea faithful.

In an era that saw a huge influx of players from overseas join the Blues, captain Wise was credited for ensuring that there wasn't a split in the dressing room, despite the different cultures and languages.

However, there came a time in 2001 when it was clear that Wise was no longer a central figure to manager Claudio Ranieri's plans. The Italian, famously nicknamed 'The Tinkerman', was determined to bring down the average age of his squad.

It meant that Wise, who was not content to just be a "bit-part player", was on the move 14 years ago today when he finalised a switch to Leicester City, having scored 76 goals during his 445 appearances for Chelsea.

During that 11-year stint, Wise had helped the club to win two FA Cups, one League Cup, one Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Super Cup.

Yet, now on the books of Leicester, Wise said: "It wasn't a difficult decision in the end [to leave Chelsea]. I had made my mind up that I was going to leave at the end of the season. I'm glad to be here. It is good that this club wanted to sign me.

"There were a lot of factors in my decision to leave. I had 11 years at Chelsea, enjoyable years, but I did not want to be a bit-part player, sitting on the bench.

"I felt under Claudio Ranieri I would not be playing in my best position and did not want to spoil my relationship with Chelsea. I have parted on very good terms."

Foxes manager Peter Taylor added: "Dennis is the kind of player that we could do with. He is a winner and will be a great asset. There were times with us last season when maybe there weren't enough leaders on the pitch."

However, Wise's stint at Leicester did not go according to plan. He featured just 19 times in all competitions during his first season, scoring once against Liverpool.

Twelve months after his arrival, the midfielder was sent home from the club's pre-season tour of Finland for punching teammate Callum Davidson, who suffered a broken nose and jaw in the altercation.

He was sacked a few weeks later and ended up signing for Millwall, before seeing out his career with Southampton and then Coventry City.

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