Romelu Lukaku is moving back in the opposite direction on loan after a dismal season in west London, following a fairytale £97.5 million return to Chelsea from Inter Milan.
In 2011, Lukaku moved from Anderlecht to Chelsea at the age of 18, but he found it difficult to earn a spot in the starting lineup. Three years after his first arrival, he was traded to Everton.
When he first signed then, he wasn’t the only newcomer to Stamford Bridge. The other five players they signed before the 2011–12 season will be examined in this article.
As I guide you down the path, stick with me.
Juan Mata
Mata, who moved to Chelsea from Valencia for $23.5 million, had an outstanding first season, helping Didier Drogba score in the 2012 Champions League final.
The international player from Spain soon won over the Stamford Bridge faithful, winning Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons.
He was unexpectedly permitted to join Manchester United in January 2014 after falling out of favor following the hiring of Jose Mourinho.
Raul Meireles
Luka Modric of Tottenham was not available to Chelsea, so the club went to Meireles, who had recently received the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award for his one season with Liverpool.
The former Portugal international made 45 games in 2011–12 and was awarded a Champions League winner’s medal, despite missing the infamous final in Munich because of his ban.
He was considered unnecessary in September 2012 and joined the Turkish team Fenerbahce, where he concluded his playing career.
Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea added more outstanding Belgian players in the summer of 2011 besides Lukaku.
Courtois, who came from Genk to the Blues, was immediately loaned to Atletico Madrid, where he rose to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
He returned to Stamford Bridge in 2014 after three fruitful years in Spain, unseating Petr Cech as the undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper for the team.
The international player from Belgium made more than 150 appearances for the team over the following four seasons, helping them to two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.
Despite Chelsea’s best efforts, Courtois made the decision to go back to Spain and joined Real Madrid on a permanent basis in 2018.
He defeated Chelsea en route to the European Cup and put on an incredible display against Liverpool in the final to win the league and the Champions League in 2022.
Unexpectedly, he framed the triumph as a message for the English press and supporters in his post-finals interview.
“Today I needed to win a final – for my career, for all the hard work, to put respect on my name because I don’t think I have enough respect, especially in England,” he said. “I saw a lot of criticism that I was not good enough or whatever.
“There was a magazine, in March, that didn’t put me in the top 10 [goalkeepers]. I don’t think they have to put me as number one, but not to be put in the top 10 – it’s strange.”
Oriol Romeu
Romeu made his senior debut under Pep Guardiola before joining Chelsea for a cost of £4.35 million. Romeu is a graduate of the La Masia program.
Prior to suffering a significant knee injury in December 2012 and failing to restore his position in the team, he made 24 appearances in all competitions during his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
The midfielder joined Southampton in 2015, and since then, he has established a respectable career at St. Mary’s, playing in more than 250 games.
Ulises Davila
After making an impression in the Under-20 World Cup in 2011, Davila left Chivas Guadalajara and became the first Mexican to sign with Chelsea, hoping to emulate Javier Hernandez at Manchester United.
He spent time on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, Sabadell, Cordoba, Tenerife, and Vitoria Setubal instead of playing for the Blues due to his inability to obtain a work visa in the UK.
He played for Santos Laguna until he left them in December 2015 to join Macarthur FC in Australia.
