Carlo Ancelotti is still fondly remembered by Chelsea fans, but what happened to the 10 players he signed during his time at the club?
The Italian manager spent two years in Chelsea’s hotseat, during which time he won the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield.
He has signed 10 players in total during his time at Stamford Bridge and we checked out where each of those players are currently at.
fernando torres
It was Ancelotti’s most expensive signing to date during his stay at Chelsea. The Spanish forward arrived for a hefty £50 million in 2011, but his time in London has been a bit of a mixed bag.
Although he scored some important goals during his four-year stay, he never lived up to expectations in a Chelsea shirt.
After stints in Italy, Spain and Japan, Torres ended his playing career in 2019. Since then, he has coached the Atlético Madrid Under-19 team, but he plans to leave that position at the end of the season to pursue other work. chance.
He’s also incredibly weird these days.
david luiz
“Lewis will be one of the best defenders in the world in the future,” Ancelotti told reporters when talking about Luiz in 2011.
While he may not have lived up to his moniker as perhaps one of the world’s best defenders, he achieved cult hero status in his two years at Chelsea.
His ability on the ball was a huge asset to the Chelsea manager, who wanted to build up from the back, and he succeeded in winning six trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Lewis, now 36 years old, is still active. Most recently, he can be seen playing for Flamengo, where he has impressed since 2021.
Take our quiz: Can you name the 25 most expensive sales in Chelsea’s history?
Ramirez
Chelsea fans will always have time for Ramirez, especially after games. that Goal against Barcelona. Overall, Ramirez proved to be one of Ancelotti’s best signings as Chelsea manager.
The Brazilian made over 250 appearances for the club, spending six years in London before spending the final years of his career in China and Brazil.
He spent two years without a club before officially announcing his retirement in 2022. The 37-year-old is currently enjoying his retirement in his home country.
Yuri Zhirkov
The versatile Russian winger was Ancelotti’s first signing as Chelsea manager. Interestingly, all 49 games Zhirkov played for Chelsea came under Italian managers.
Zhirkov returned to Russia in 2011 and played the remainder of his career in the Russian Premier League, before announcing his retirement last February.
Read next: 5 former Chelsea players you didn’t know are still playing outside Europe
Take our quiz: Can you name every Chelsea player who has scored 20 or more goals in the Premier League?
ross turnbull
Turnbull won four trophies during his time at Chelsea, a decent result considering he only made 19 appearances in the top flight. This means he won one trophy for every 4.75 games he played.
After spells at Doncaster, Barnsley and Leeds, he quit the Grove in 2017 and is now back at Chelsea as goalkeeper scouting manager.
Yossi Benayoun
Benayoun did not have the most memorable spell at Chelsea. He only made 14 league appearances during his three years at the club, spending time on loan at Arsenal and West Ham.
He announced his retirement in 2019 after spending the final years of his career in his home country. He currently works as the sporting director of Beitar Jerusalem, his former club.
Daniel Sturridge
These days, Sturridge appears on TV screens as a pundit for Sky Sports. It is worth pointing out that despite not being with the club since 2022, the 34-year-old has not yet officially announced his retirement from football.
To be fair to Sturridge, he seems to be enjoying his job as a pundit and is always good value for money when alongside Roy Keane.
Read: Chelsea vs Liverpool left us with one question: How long until Roy Keane murders Daniel Sturridge?
thomas callas
Chelsea paid a reported £5.2 million for Kalas in the summer of 2010, but the defender was not given much of a chance at Stamford Bridge.
He only made four appearances in the top flight, spending the majority of his time on loan. The Czech Republic defender spent his best years playing for Bristol City in the Championship and now plays for Schalke in the second tier of the Bundesliga.
Nemanja Matic
Ancelotti was in charge when Chelsea first signed Matic, but the Serbian midfielder made just three first-team appearances before being sold to Benfica.
After honing his skills in Portugal, Chelsea re-signed Matic in 2014 and the rest is history. His return to London was a huge success, after he made over 150 appearances and won two league titles.
After spells with Manchester United, Roma and Rennes, he can now be seen playing for Lyon in Ligue 1.
Matei Delac
Perhaps the most memorable signing of any of Ancelotti’s players. The Croatian goalkeeper joined Chelsea in 2010 and spent eight years training at Stamford Bridge, but never made an appearance for the first team.
After spending most of his career on loan, he ultimately left Chelsea in 2018 to join Danish club Horsens, where he still plays today.
