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Ranking the 19 Chelsea strikers signed during Abramovich's regime

Chelsea Football Club / Chelsea FC / Getty

Now Chelsea's signing of Alvaro Morata is complete, theScore counts down the top 19 Blues strikers since Roman Abramovich purchased the club in 2003.

19. Radamel Falcao

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Cost: Loan deal

Premier League record: 10 appearances, one goal

In what looked like a vanity project, Jose Mourinho tried to get the best out of Falcao after he failed miserably at Manchester United. The Portuguese was sacked a few months later.

18. Adrian Mutu

Cost: £15.8 million

Premier League record: 27 appearances, six goals

His goal-scoring record isn't as bad as some on this list, but Mutu's use of cocaine tarnished his whole career. He had to pay about the amount of his transfer fee to compensate Chelsea for breach of contract.

17. Alexandre Pato

Cost: Loan deal

Premier League record: Two appearances, one goal

Pato was tipped as a future world-beater during his formative years at Internacional and AC Milan. Just how far from that ceiling he is nowadays was evident during his Stamford Bridge sojourn.

16. Claudio Pizarro

Cost: Free

Premier League record: 12 appearances, two goals

The Peruvian only scored against Birmingham City in his short stint, falling out of favour when Avram Grant succeeded Mourinho in west London.

15. Mateja Kezman

Cost: £5.3 million

Premier League record: 25 appearances, four goals

One of the earlier signings of the Abramovich era, Kezman became an unwanted case study in how some players struggle to rehash their Eredivisie form on the more illustrious stage of the Premier League.

14. Romelu Lukaku

Cost: Initial £10-million fee

Premier League record: 10 appearances, no goals

Chelsea's foresight in picking up the Belgian teenager was commendable, but he's a chief component of the oft-aired criticism that Mourinho doesn't trust the kids. He's now a £90-million Manchester United poacher.

13. Andriy Shevchenko

Cost: £30.8 million

Premier League record: 48 appearances, nine goals

Few players have turned up at Stamford Bridge with a reputation as lofty as Shevchenko's, but the Ukrainian marksman looked off the pace for much of his English tenure. A pricey error.

12. Loic Remy

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Cost: £10.5 million

Premier League record: 32 appearances, eight goals

Remy is still on the books at Chelsea, even playing a part in this season's pre-season preparations. But he'll be sold this summer, and was nothing more than a peripheral player for the Blues.

11. Michy Batshuayi

Cost: £33.2 million

Premier League record: 20 appearances, five goals

Batshuayi's Chelsea career is a small sample size. He was sacrificed when Antonio Conte chose to deploy a 3-4-3 formation last season, and therefore most of his minutes came from the bench. He did, however, score the league-winning goal at West Bromwich Albion.

10. Daniel Sturridge

Cost: Initial £3.5-million compensation fee

Premier League record: 63 appearances, 13 goals

Before establishing himself as a first-team regular at Manchester City, Sturridge demanded a pay packet only Chelsea could satisfy. A natural finisher, he wasn't afforded enough opportunities in the senior setup.

9. Fernando Torres

Cost: £50 million

Premier League record: 110 appearances, 20 goals

Torres will go down as one of the worst transfers in Premier League history, but he'll be fondly remembered for his winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final. He looked a shadow of his merciless Merseyside self in London.

8. Demba Ba

Cost: £7 million

Premier League record: 33 appearances, seven goals

Ba was another player intended for a bit part, but he forced regular recognition through his knack of scoring important goals. Ba's most famous strike came after Steven Gerrard slipped over to seemingly hand Manchester City the title.

7. Samuel Eto'o

Cost: Undisclosed

Premier League record: 21 appearances, nine goals

Eto'o rolled into Chelsea for what looked like a swan song, but enjoyed home comforts, with every one of his goals coming at Stamford Bridge. He still had much to offer, so went on to represent Everton, Sampdoria, and Antalyaspor.

6. Hernan Crespo

Cost: £16.8 million

Premier League record: 49 appearances, 20 goals

Signed in the first summer Chelsea had access to the Russian riches, Crespo enjoyed two fruitful seasons at the Blues either side of an AC Milan loan spell. While he was a success on the pitch, he struggled to acclimatise to English life.

5. Salomon Kalou

Cost: £9 million

Premier League record: 156 appearances, 36 goals

Kalou was perhaps unfairly treated by the English public. Often plonked on the wing and regarded as a frustration by many, the Ivorian won four FA Cups, a title each in the Premier League and League Cup, and started in the victorious 2012 Champions League final.

4. Nicolas Anelka

Cost: £15 million

Premier League record: 116 appearances, 37 goals

He took some time to settle following his transfer from Bolton Wanderers, but stayed at Chelsea longer than any other club in his nomadic professional career. Anelka was key in the 2010-11 Premier League title win.

3. Alvaro Morata

Cost: £60 million

Premier League record: No appearances, no goals

With two Champions League victories already on his curriculum vitae, Morata has the pedigree to enhance both the attack and the mentality of the dressing room. He's a modern No. 9: still getting on the end of chances, but using his craft to contribute in other phases of play.

2. Diego Costa

Cost: £32 million

Premier League record: 89 appearances, 52 goals

With a complexion textured like the interior of cardboard and the temper of a bull shark, Costa didn't win many friends in England. But he should leave Chelsea this summer a hero after winning two league titles and putting everything on the line for his team week in, week out. He compiled a superb goal-scoring record over three seasons.

1. Didier Drogba

Cost: £24 million

Premier League record: 254 appearances, 104 goals

Many people were quick to write off Drogba, but he proved himself one of the finest frontmen of the Premier League era. The Ivorian was deceptively quick, incredibly strong, and had an unflappable demeanour in front of goal. Numerous polls have found him to be the most highly regarded player in the club's history by Blues fans.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images, unless stated otherwise)

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