With exciting winger Juan Cuadrado having arrived at Chelsea in place of Mohamed Salah, we remember some of the wide-men who have made an impact at Stamford Bridge down the years. And some who didn’t.

Ten wing wonders

 

Peter Houseman (1963-1975)
A player who was adored by his team-mates because of his selfless running, work-rate and vastly underrated ability on the ball. Houseman sometimes bore the brunt of the crowd’s frustration when things weren’t going according to plan, but his contribution was never undervalued by those who played with him. Scored in the 1970 FA Cup final of course and was a vital part of Chelsea’s thrilling sides of the late ’60s and ’70s. Tragically, he died in a car accident at the age of 31.

Charlie Cooke (1966-1972 & 1974-1978)
The darling of the crowd for many a season, with his jinking runs, awareness, vision and quality shining through. For all the ability he had, the Scottish winger also stood out for his resilience in an era when the first response to combat ability was often a series of industrial challenges. His entertainment value, solo runs and a seemingly unreadable drop of the shoulder and shimmy – during two spells totalling 10 years with the club – set the standard for all Chelsea wingers to follow.

Clive Walker (1976-1984)
A former captain with eight years of loyal service and the scorer of what is very likely the most important goal in the club’s history. Not a Champions League winner or title-clincher, but a fine long-range strike at Bolton in 1983 that was vital in keeping a place in the old Second Division and avoiding financial meltdown. Had lightning pace, tremendous ability on the ball, was a natural finisher as his 60 league goals prove, and possessed a brilliant football brain to boot. It was a shame his talents came during a dark time for the club.

Pat Nevin (1983-1988)
Any player who admits he was more interested in entertaining than self-promotion had a great chance of being a crowd favourite. If winning was secondary, it never caused problems for the team, with Nevin being as influential as anyone in the Division Two title-winning side of 1983-84 – and the memorable first season back in the top flight that followed. Classy, full of tricks, selfless, smart, surprisingly strong and brave and with a sleight of foot to match his speed of mind. Spent five years with the club and would be worth a hefty transfer fee these days.

Micky Thomas (1984-1986)
Became a firm favourite during two seasons as a Chelsea player in the mid-’80s because of his energy, ability and wholehearted commitment. Played with an infectious enthusiasm that endeared him to supporters and was part of the much-celebrated John Neal side that so entertained with two wingers and the Dixon-Speedie front pairing.

Dennis Wise (1990-2001)
Bought as a winger – along with much-maligned commentator Andy Townsend – in the summer of 1990 and had a superb debut, tormenting a Derby County defence which admittedly did include the 6ft 7ins tall Kevin Francis having to fill in at full-back for part of the game. Struggled thereafter and was getting a fair bit of grief from the crowd. But he battled through with typical guts and spirit to become a real terrace hero, before converting to central midfield where he became a fabulous player during an exciting period. One of the most influential figures the club has ever had. A genuine legend.

Joe Cole (2003-2010)
The target of plenty of criticism from Jose Mourinho, but he became vital in the back-to-back titles and the manager’s words clearly had the desired effect. If Mourinho didn’t value or rate the player he would have shipped him out. Harnessing Cole’s rare skills, tricks and flicks and getting the most out of him showed Mourinho’s ability as a manager. The England international has acknowledged he played his best football under Mourinho, whether it was as a wide-man or central midfielder.

Damien Duff (2003-2006)
Joined as part of the Roman Abramovich revolution in that incredible summer and soon became a popular figure as Chelsea finally had wingers to thrill the crowd. His partnership with Arjen Robben was mesmeric on the all-too rare occasions both players were fully fit, and made a mockery of the lazy accusations of boring football Mourinho’s side suffered in the Portuguese’s first spell in charge.

Arjen Robben (2004-2007)
Has consistently proved what a world-class player he is since leaving Stamford Bridge, but although regular injury problems prevented him from showing it week in week out, the Dutch winger was unplayable when on top form. Certainly, he was unlucky with injuries which meant he sometimes struggled for total sharpness and only managed 51 league starts in three seasons. But on his day was as exciting a talent as the club have ever had. The Aaron Mokeona tackle that sidelined him in the crucial away win at Blackburn on the way to the Premier League title in 2004-05 was nothing short of a disgrace.

Eden Hazard (2012-present)
Has been awesome this season and wasn’t far off it last season either. But Mourinho – as he did with Joe Cole – wanted more and would regularly hold back the praise or have a dig trying to get even more from the talented Belgian. This campaign has seen both men reap the rewards, with Hazard consistently being Chelsea’s best attacking player, laying on countless chances and already scoring 12 goals.

And some who didn’t quite come off…..

Gabriele Ambrosetti (1999-2000)
The signing of an Italian winger had many a Blues fan licking their lips in anticipation, having seen him show glimpses of quality playing against the club for Vicenza. Scored a fine late goal in the incredible 5-0 Champions League thumping of Galatasary in Istanbul, but that was about all he contributed. Was generally dreadful and after a poor start, he got worse. As the short-lived backing from the hierarchy disappeared, so did his super-fragile confidence and he returned to his homeland after just over a year and 11 starts in a Chelsea shirt.

Shaun Wright-Phillips (2005-2008)
Blistering pace and a consistent match-winner for Manchester City, the England winger never established himself and never showed anything like the form he was capable of. A couple of stunning goals against West Ham – two of only four he managed in the league – stand out and there were other decent contributions. But it soon became clear he did not have his manager’s complete backing, with the winger’s searing pace unable to hide a lack of quality and guile on the ball.

Florent Malouda (2007-2013)
Scored a superb goal on his debut in the Community Shield in a promising start and was exceptional for about 18 months – mainly under Guus Hiddink. But for most of the rest of his six-year stint, the Frenchman did not truly impress. He still managed 45 goals in 230 games and won a decent clutch of medals, but given how good he could be, he surely should have achieved a great deal more while at the Bridge

Mohamed Salah (2014-present)
Scored the sixth goal in last season’s demolition of Arsenal soon after joining but does not have the all-round game to appease Mourinho. The Egyptian has bags of talent, and could yet come good as he is still only 22. His move to Fiorentina is only a loan deal after all, but he needs to up his work-rate, ‘game management’ and decision making before he will get even a sniff of a regular place at Chelsea. That seems highly unlikely.

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