Centre Midfield: Steve Sidwell
Like Ben Tal Haim, Steve Sidwell
joined Chelsea on a free transfer. Having impressed with Reading in their maiden Premier League season, he was snapped up by The Blues but Sidwell insisted he wasn't there just to make up the numbers. He endured a difficult spell at Chelsea as he only made 15 Premier League appearances and scored no league goals. He wasn't a natural fit for the Chelsea midfield that had some of the best the Premier League has seen in Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack. Another player that simply wasn't good enough for Chelsea, the step to a big club just proved too much for him. Fortunately Sidwell has rebuilt his career with a spell at Aston Villa and now plys his trade at Fulham.
Centre Midfield: Juan Sebastián Verón
The Argentine was signed in Abramovich's first summer at Chelsea for
£15 million from Premier League rivals Manchester United; £13.5 million less than the English football record fee Manchester United paid for him. After a promising start, where he scored the winner against Liverpool, Verón succumbed to injury, leading him to make only 7 league appearances from Chelsea and that solitary league goal. Failing to impress in his first season he spent time on loan at Inter Milan and Estudiantes, who he currently plays for.