Ever since he walked through the Stamford Bridge doors in 2003, Roman Abramovich wasted no time in showing the football world that he was prepared to spend big in the transfer market.
After the initial splurge later that year, the vast array of different managers who have worked under the Russian billionaire have not brought in as many fresh faces in one window, but they have consistently been provided with game-changing funds.
When only considering Chelsea's top 10 most expensive signings, Abramovich has still committed to just under £600m, and it has inevitably been those players who have come under the most scrutiny.
In a week when Abramovich has revealed that he will sell the Premier League giants, Sports Mole assesses which of those stars proved to be value for money.
When Romelu Lukaku bullied Arsenal on his second Chelsea debut in August, it felt like the decision to spend £97.5m on the Belgium international had already been justified. However, that is as good as it has got for the 28-year-old, who was not shy in voicing his unhappiness about life at Chelsea in December via a controversial interview with Italian media.
Even though Lukaku scored on both appearances as Chelsea won the Club World Cup last month, it remains clear that his style of play is not suited to a team under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel. In fact, you could go as far as saying that Lukaku is only regarded as an option in this squad, rather than being viewed as the vocal point of the attack.
That was not expected by all parties when he swapped Inter Milan for the Blues last summer and while Lukaku could go on scoring goals every so often for the remainder of this season, Chelsea must accept that a mistake has been made and cut their losses for a half-decent fee while they still can.
Price £97.5m
Appearances 30
Goals 11
Trophies One
Value for money No
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Being judged by a transfer fee is par for the course, particularly in cases like Kepa Arrizabalaga's when Chelsea spent well over the odds. However, labelling the Spanish goalkeeper as a £71.6m flop is a lazy narrative, with the West Londoners recouping £35m for Thibaut Courtois in the same instance rather than risk losing their previous number one on a free.
Nevertheless, regardless of which angle that you take, the former Athletic Bilbao man has not been worth the money. The unforeseen move into the spotlight had a detrimental effect on his development, and it has only been this season where he has looked like the stopper that Chelsea believed that they were signing in 2018.
Arrizabalaga has 47 clean sheets from 124 appearances, and he has played key roles in winning the Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. However, it will be his mistakes, such as the one in Sunday's penalty shootout against Liverpool in the EFL Cup final, which he will be most remembered for when he eventually leaves Chelsea in the future.
Price £71.6m
Appearances 124
Clean sheets 47
Trophies Four
Value for money No
Kai Havertz
Given the hype that followed him from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, it is fair to say that Kai Havertz has, more often than not, looked like a player undeserving of the praise that has accompanied him throughout the early phases of his career.
However, the playmaker will always be the player who scored the winning goals in the Champions League and Club World Cup finals, and that is enough to reach the conclusion that he has already justified his price-tag, especially with another 14 strikes being added since his arrival.
In recent weeks, it has also become more evident that he suits Tuchel's philosophy far more than Lukaku, and he has the potential to become a vital cog in this team. His goal output must improve - everyone can agree on that - but the 22-year-old's presence in the attack has become more important than it once was.
Price £71m
Appearances 76
Goals 16
Trophies Three
Value for money Yes
Alvaro Morata
There was the belief that Chelsea had pulled off a real coup when they paid £58m to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in 2017, and a return of 16 goals from 47 Premier League appearances is hardly disastrous.
However, the Spaniard never truly settled at Stamford Bridge and it came as no surprise when his stint at the club lasted just 18 months. Morata was signed to be a difference maker given the furore of the Diego Costa saga, but he became the latest in a long list of Chelsea failures in that position.
Morata had started his first campaign as a club-record signing, but he ended it making a cameo appearance at the end of the FA Cup final.
Price £60m
Appearances 72
Goals 24
Trophies One
Value for money No
Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic has all of the ability to be one of the first names on Chelsea's teamsheets but injuries have frequently held back the American winger, the most notable coming in the 2020 FA Cup final when he sustained a hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, while it is borderline whether he has proven value for money thus far, the 23-year-old has contributed to trophies being won at Stamford Bridge, and he has already scored more goals for Chelsea in less games than it took him at Borussia Dortmund.
At his best, Pulisic can be one of the best wingers in the world and even if he does not always showcase his qualities, he remains an important part of Tuchel's squad.
Price £58m
Appearances 101
Goals 21
Trophies Three
Value for money Yes
Jorginho
Having beaten Manchester City to Jorginho's signature, expectation levels went through the roof, particularly with former associate Maurizio Sarri also arriving at Stamford Bridge.
However, Jorginho's full value to Chelsea has only been shown during Tuchel's stint at the club, the Italian passmaster taking on far more importance than simply proving efficient from the penalty spot.
Chelsea's variation in midfield means that Jorginho is not always missed when he does not feature, but that should not undermine everything that he has helped Chelsea achieve. He could depart for pastures new in the summer for a third of the fee that was shelled out for his services, although that should not take anything away from the fact that he has fulfilled his potential at the club.
Price £57m
Appearances 175
Goals 26
Trophies Four
Value for money Yes
Fernando Torres
With it having taken 734 minutes for Fernando Torres to score his first Chelsea goal, the Spaniard was never going to truly justify his £50m price tag, but that is not to say that the Spaniard's time at Stamford Bridge should not be deemed as a success.
Just 20 of Torres's 45 goals for Chelsea came in the Premier League, but he made his mark during the Champions League and Europa League triumphs of 2012 and 2013 respectively.
During the latter, he netted six times in nine appearances, including the opener against Benfica in the final, so while many Chelsea and generic football fans will see his period in West London as a negative, that is harsh on a player who enjoyed the most successful period of his club career in a Blue shirt.
Price £50m
Appearances 172
Goals 45
Trophies Three
Value for money Yes
Timo Werner
Timo Werner fits into the same bracket as Torres with the Germany international complementing glaring misses by playing an important role in a successful squad.
In terms of goal ratio, Werner is only averaging a strike every four matches, but the attacker started seven of Chelsea's eight fixtures in the knockout stages of last season's Champions League, netting against Real Madrid and making an important contribution to Havertz's decisive effort in the final.
There is always a sense that the 25-year-old feels the weight of pressure and struggles with being in and out of the team, but most supporters would prefer to see Werner remain at Chelsea over Lukaku, a sign of their desire to see him succeed after arriving for £47.5m.
Price £47.5m
Appearances 76
Goals 19
Trophies Three
Value for money Yes
Ben Chilwell
As he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury, it is impossible to say right now whether Ben Chilwell will fulfil his potential at Chelsea.
However, like many of his teammates in this list, the left wing-back played a key role in last season's Champions League success, while the England international also has seven goals and eight assists to his name.
Before his injury, Chelsea and Tuchel were beginning to see the best of Chilwell, and they will each hope that he can rediscover his best form later in 2022.
Price £45m
Appearances 54
Goals Seven
Trophies Two
Value for money Yes
Mateo Kovacic
During his initial season-long loan spell from Real Madrid, Mateo Kovacic did nothing out of the ordinary to justify Chelsea taking up their £40m option on the player. However, the club's transfer ban meant that their only way of technically adding a fresh face to Frank Lampard's squad was through paying that fee.
Since that moment, Kovacic has been integral to the Blues, finding a balance between the defensive and attacking sides of his game to emerge as a complete central midfielder. Whether has been used in tandem with Jorginho or N'Golo Kante, the Croatia international has fitted in seamlessly.
Younger than those same two players, Kovacic has more chance of remaining at Chelsea in the long term, but even if he was to depart for a new club right now, he has already delivered significantly more than was expected of him.
Price £40m
Appearances 170
Goals Four
Trophies Four
Value for money Yes
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