10 Footballers Who Returned To Their Former Clubs For Inflated Prices

5. Graeme Le Saux - Chelsea

Had Graeme Le Saux not lost his temper by throwing his shirt to the ground, he may not have cost Chelsea over £4 million in 1997. The Blues have form for paying inflated fees to sign back one of their former players and were at it again long before Nemanja Matic burst onto the scene. Le Saux moved to Stamford Bridge in 1987 after being spotted playing in a local tournament by Blues boss John Hollins and the left-back soon became a regular at the club. However, his initial spell with Chelsea ended in controversy when, angry with continually being substituted, snapped when he was hooked off again by Ian Porterfield, throwing his shirt to the ground and storming past his manager. His petulance resulted in a sale to Blackburn Rovers in March 1993 for £700,000. After a stint with Blackburn, Le Saux became the most expensive defender in the history of English football when he returned to Chelsea for £5 million in 1997. This time the Englishman lasted six years in west London playing an important role for Chelsea before being swapped in a part-exchange deal with Southampton for Wayne Bridge in 2003.