10 Shocking Chelsea Departures That Nobody Expected

3. Arjen Robben

When one remembers the Chelsea team that surged to successive Premier League triumphs, they might remember a spine consisting of an unbeatable Petr Cech between the posts, an impenetrable rearguard of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, a perfect blend of tackles and goals in Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard in Midfield, with the bustling Didier Drogba up front. Who provided the invention and flair of that Chelsea alumni were the lightning-quick wingers in Damien Duff and Arjen Robben, who terrorised English defences. Admittedly, however, the Dutchman was plagued by injury while at Stamford Bridge and his form nosedived during his last campaign, scoring just twice in the league - comparatively minuscule compared to the numbers he crunches these days for Bayern Munich - but he was still a healthy and exciting threat for the west London side. So, it was definitely a surprise when Jose Mourinho sanctioned his £24 million sale to Real Madrid in August 2007, in favour of a move for Lyon winger Florent Malouda. It would prove to be a huge miscalculation on Mourinho€™s part, as Robben as blossomed into one of the best players in the world, while Malouda has just signed for French side FC Metz.