Granit Xhaka to Chelsea feels like a typo. Or a fever dream. Or maybe Xabi Alonso just has that kind of pull with his old bosses.
The BlueCo project has been all about buying teenagers and hoping they turn into billion-dollar assets. Cole Palmer worked. A few others didn’t. But now the club is reportedly pushing hard for a 33-year-old midfielder who couldn’t outrun a slow news day at Arsenal. And they’re doing it because Alonso wants him. That’s the story anyway. The club hasn’t confirmed anything.
You have to go back to September 2022 to find Chelsea’s last over-30 signing. That was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It went poorly. Before him? Kalidou Koulibaly. Also poor. So the track record is not great. But Chelsea has signed some older guys who actually worked out. Let’s rank the last 10.
The Keepers Who Never Played
Three of Chelsea’s last 10 over-30 signings were reserve goalkeepers who never made an appearance. We’re grouping them together because honestly, how do you separate them? Vibes, mostly.
Marco Amelia joined in 2015, a season Chelsea finished 10th. He didn’t play. Then there was Eduardo, the former Portugal international who joined in 2016 as third choice. He won a Premier League title without kicking a ball. He also lifted the Europa League trophy in 2019 in full Chelsea kit. Not bad for a guy who never actually played. Rob Green signed in 2018 and had the exact same experience. At least he got his hands on some silverware.
The Ones Who Actually Played
Koulibaly was supposed to be the answer to Chelsea’s defensive issues. He had been one of Serie A’s best defenders for years. But the Premier League is a different animal. He lasted one season, looked slow and lost, and the club sold him. It was the first big miss of the post-Abramovich era.
Aubameyang is next. He came from Barcelona with a decent scoring record and had been good at Arsenal. But he scored one Premier League goal for Chelsea. One. Then he went to Marseille and scored 30 the next season. That stings.
Gonzalo Higuain arrived on loan in 2019 to reunite with Maurizio Sarri. He was not the Higuain who scored goals for fun at Napoli. But five goals in 14 league games is not terrible. Especially by Chelsea striker standards.
Willy Caballero came from Manchester City in 2017 and played 38 games over four years. He actually made it onto the field. Should have been 39 if Kepa hadn’t refused to come off in the 2019 League Cup final. Caballero just stood there watching the whole mess unfold.
The Ones Who Worked
Didier Drogba came back in 2014 for a second spell. He was 36. He scored 7 goals in 40 games. That’s not great. But he helped the younger guys: Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar. Jose Mourinho said it was worth it just for the leadership. And they won the league. So fine.
Olivier Giroud joined from Arsenal in 2018. He scored 39 goals in 119 games and won the Europa League and Champions League. In 2020-21, he was Chelsea’s top scorer in the UCL with six goals. Four of those came in one game. He was consistent, professional, and always there when needed. A real pro.
Thiago Silva is the obvious best. He joined at 35 and everyone thought it was a short-term signing. Four seasons later, he had made over 150 appearances, won the Champions League, and been named Chelsea’s player of the year in 2022-23. He just went back to Fluminense at age 41. That’s insane. He was the best of them and it’s not close.
So Xhaka has some big shoes to fill if he wants to be remembered fondly at Stamford Bridge. Or at least not end up like Koulibaly.
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