Timo Werner’s performance with Chelsea so far has not been satisfactory. This made the public wonder, was the player affected by the striker’s curse at Stamford Bridge?
Werner signed for Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer. Unmitigated, the Blues spent 53 million euros to bring the German player.
In the Bundesliga, Werner is one of the most feared strikers in Europe. He scored 95 goals in 159 games for Die Roten Bullen.
However, Werner looks to have had a hard time since arriving at Chelsea. His sharpness in front of the opponent’s goal is still not visible.
So far Werner has only scored five goals in 29 matches in the Premier League. The achievement is of course still far from expectations.
However, Werner still has plenty of time to avoid the ‘Curse of the Chelsea striker’. The reason is, previously there were many strikers who failed miserably at the club.
Here are 10 strikers who failed to show their best form at Chelsea.
Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata was signed from Real Madrid for 66 million euros. Morata’s transfer value broke the club’s transfer record at that time.
Morata has only scored 16 of 47 games in the Premier League. His appearance with Chelsea was deemed not according to expectations.
Chelsea then loaned Morata to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019. The Spanish club later redeemed Morata for 35 million euros.
Andriy Shevchenko
Chelsea recruited Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan in 2006. The striker from Ukraine was brought to Stamford Bridge for a transfer fee of 43.8 million euros.
However, Shevchenko has had a hard time adapting to English football. He only scored 22 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Blues.
After being loaned to AC Milan, Shevchenko left Chelsea in the 2009 summer transfer market. He decided to return to his former club Dynamo Kiev and end his career there.
Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres left Liverpool and joined Chelsea in January 2011. He broke the record for the most expensive player in England after being bailed out for a fee of 58.5 million euros.
Torres helped Chelsea win the Champions League and Europa League. However, he is often remembered as one of the Blues’ unsuccessful purchases.
Torres only scored 45 goals in 172 appearances in all competitions. After failing to shine at Chelsea, Torres continued his career at AC Milan.
Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku in 2012. At that time, Lukaku was transferred from the Belgian club Anderlecht for a dowry of 15 million euros.
However, Lukaku did not get many opportunities at Stamford Bridge. He only made 15 appearances for the Blues without scoring a goal.
As a result, Lukaku was loaned out to West Brom and Everton. The striker then signed for Everton on July 30, 2014.
Radamel Falcao
After failing with Manchester United, Radamel Falcao tried his luck with Chelsea. He came to Stamford Bridge on loan from AS Monaco.
However, Falcao failed to show his sharpness again in the Premier League. He only scored one goal in 12 matches for Chelsea.
As a result, his career with Chelsea did not last long. Falcao left the Blues and returned to Monaco at the end of the season.
Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain joined Chelsea in January 2019. He was brought to Stamford Bridge on loan from Juventus.
Unfortunately, the Argentine player couldn’t do much with the Blues. Higuain only scored five goals in 18 matches.
The former Napoli player only lasted six months in London. Higuain finally returned to Juventus at the end of the season.
Alexandre Pato
Chelsea signed Alexandre Pato on loan in January 2016. However, the Brazilian was not at his best.
As a result, Pato failed to show his best performance while playing at Stamford Bridge. He only scored one goal from two matches.
As a result, Pato’s career in the Premier League was quite short. Chelsea did not extend Pato’s stay and the player eventually returned to Corinthians at the end of the season.
Adrian Mutu
Chelsea signed Adrian Mutu in the summer of 2003 from Parma. Initially, the player was able to perform brilliantly with the Blues by scoring four goals in three matches.
Over time, Mutu’s acuity then faded away. The situation got worse after the Romanian striker fell out with manager Jose Mourinho.
Mutu was also briefly suspended for seven months because he was proven to have used cocaine. In October 2004, Mutu terminated his contract by Chelsea.
Mateja Kezman
Mateja Kezman performed brilliantly with Partizan Belgrade and PSV Eindhoven. Chelsea brought him to Stamford Bridge in 2004.
However, Kezman’s appearance at Chelsea did not live up to expectations. The former PSG player failed to show his sharpness with the Blues.
Kezman only managed to score seven goals in 41 matches. He was eventually sold to Atletico Madrid the following season.
Michy Batshuayi
Michy Batshuayi has been very impressive with French club Marseille. That’s what made Chelsea sign him in 2016 for a fee of 39 million euros.
However, the Belgian player’s fate was unlucky at Stamford Bridge. He had difficulty getting the opportunity to play regularly with the Blues.
So far, Batshuayi has scored 25 goals in 77 appearances for Chelsea. The player is currently on loan at Crystal Palace
