Lacroix next? Ranking Chelsea’s 25 French signings from worst to best | OneFootball

Chelsea’s French connection could continue with their latest transfer pursuit after they reportedly opened talks for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.

It’s a nationality they’ve turned to for signings more than any other besides England and Scotland. We’ve ranked Chelsea’s 25 previous French signings from worst to best.

25. Tiemoue Bakayoko (£40m, 2017)

What a tremendous waste of money, in a time when £40m was enough to make you Chelsea’s second most expensive signing ever, unlike nowadays when it gets you such luxuries as 82% of a Jamie Gittens.

Bakayoko lasted only one year at Chelsea before being shipped around on loan and eventually leaving on a free in 2023.

“I’m not below them,” a defensive Bakayoko said of a crop of fellow Frenchmen including N’Golo Kante after being left out of the national team a few months after his Chelsea arrival.

Reader: He was below them.

24. Jean-Yves Anis (Free, 2002)

No senior appearances before leaving for Partick Thistle after a year. Still, can’t be worse than being a £40m flop.

23. Mathis Amougou (£12m, 2025)

Strange one, this. Amougou got one of those shiny eight-year contracts when he joined Chelsea – and lasted only five months of it before being moved on to sister club Strasbourg.

Who could forget his 22 minutes of gametime in between?

22. Lesley Ugochukwu (£23m, 2023)

Three starts among 12 Premier League appearances and that was that for Ugochukwu at Chelsea.

The fee they paid for him wasn’t too modest, but neither was the one they recouped when selling him to Burnley two years later.

21. Malang Sarr (Free, 2020)

With more than 100 Ligue 1 appearances under his belt, Sarr seemed a decent prospect when Chelsea signed him as a 21-year-old.

But they opted to send him out on loan to Porto and then gave him just eight Premier League appearances upon his return.

Another loan at Monaco followed and then he returned to hear his new boss Mauricio Pochettino denying knowledge of his existence.

Sarr eventually left Chelsea on the same terms as he’d joined: on a free.

20. Benoit Badiashile (£35m, 2023)

Has failed to live up to expectations since joining from Monaco.

19. Axel Disasi (£38.5m, 2023)

Has also failed to live up to expectations since joining from Monaco.

18. Bernard Lambourde (£1.5m, 1997)

A relative unknown at the time of his arrival from Bordeaux and not exactly a name that went into the history books therafter.

Lambourde’s best moment was scoring a winner against Spurs in 2000, but he only played 60 times in total before leaving in 2001.

17. Wesley Fofana (£70m, 2022)

One of the most expensive centre-backs of all time and seemingly one of the most injured ever since his move, too.

It’s hard to say Chelsea have got value for money out of Fofana given his average of 18 appearances a season over the past four years.

When fit and at his best, he can be an asset to the team, but the fact Chelsea are looking at options like Lacroix suggests he’s not a guaranteed starter anymore.

16. Laurent Charvet (Loan, 1998)

A useful enough reinforcement at right-back for the second half of the 1997-98 season, but an unused sub in the Cup Winners’ Cup final win over Stuttgart.

15. Christopher Nkunku (£52m, 2023)

Joined on the back of a 23-goal season for RB Leipzig. Followed it up with a three-goal season for Chelsea.

In fairness, Nkunku was important towards Chelsea’s Conference League win in his second season, scoring seven goals in Europe, but he never quite forced his way into his preferred position. If anyone even knows what it is.

14. Lassana Diarra (£1m, 2005)

Chelsea hoped Diarra could become their new Makelele when they signed him from Le Havre as a 20-year-old.

He was named their young player of the season after his first year and started the League Cup final win in his second, but still left before Makelele did.

Diarra played 31 times in all for Chelsea, but fewer than half of those games were in the league.

13. Loic Remy (£10.5m, 2014)

After a move from QPR to Liverpool collapsed, Remy made the shorter switch to Chelsea after they activated his release clause.

He scored a modest 12 goals from 47 games for Chelsea, but it was respectable enough given only 16 of those games were starts.

12. Kurt Zouma (£12m, 2014)

Zouma was decent enough for Chelsea to earn more than 150 appearances but felt a more natural fit for a club a step below them on the ladder.

11. Malo Gusto (£30m, 2023)

Bound for Manchester City to make way for Marco Palestra?

If this is it for Gusto at Chelsea then he might not go down in history but can be proud of his efforts nonetheless.

A starter in both the Conference League and Club World Cup finals in 2025, he’s become someone Chelsea think they can (more than) double their money on.

10. Didier Deschamps (£3m, 1999)

Approaching the end of his storied career by the time he joined Chelsea, Deschamps only spent one season with the club, but still made almost 50 appearances and won an FA Cup.

9. Emmanuel Petit (£7.5m, 2001)

Petit finished his career at Chelsea, who brought the former Arsenal star back to London after a year with Barcelona.

The midfielder made 76 appearances for Chelsea, being at his best in his second season, but was often held back by injuries.

8. Olivier Giroud (£18m, 2018)

Joining from rivals Arsenal, Giroud was nearing the end of his prime but still had lots to offer Chelsea.

A record of 39 goals from 119 games was by no means a disaster compared to some of the other strikers to pass through Stamford Bridge over the years.

His role in their Champions League win in his final season – despite not playing in the final – should not be underappreciated.

7. Frank Leboeuf (£2.5m, 1996)

Moving from Strasbourg to Chelsea before moves from Strasbourg to Chelsea were a thing, Lebouef spent five years in the Premier League.

The French defender played more than 200 times for Chelsea and scored 24 goals, winning six trophies in the process.

6. Florent Malouda (£13.5m, 2007)

After an impressive spell with Lyon, Malouda spent the prime of his career at Chelsea.

Scoring 45 goals from 229 games, the winger won the Premier League in his third season, being named the league’s player of the month at one point along the way.

5. William Gallas (£6m, 2001)

Gallas began his hat-trick of playing for London clubs by joining Chelsea from Marseille in 2001.

Over the next five years, he was a regular in defence, playing more than 200 games and twice being named in the PFA Premier League team of the year.

He went out as a back-to-back Premier League winner in 2006 when he left for Arsenal.

4. Nicolas Anelka (£15m, 2008)

The highest-scoring Frenchman in Chelsea’s history, Anelka was brought back to England by the Blues after his previous spells with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Overlapping with Didier Drogba meant he wasn’t Chelsea’s main striker during his time with the club, but he was still an important one alongside the Ivorian.

3. Marcel Desailly (£4.5m, 1998)

Joining Chelsea from AC Milan in the same summer he became a World Cup winner with France, Desailly went on to spend six years with the club.

A rock at the back, he lived up to his reputation for Chelsea, who were the last European club of his career.

2. Claude Makelele (£16.5m, 2003)

A player who defined a position, Makelele was 30 when he joined Chelsea but still gave them five years of good service. See, BlueCo, signings don’t always have to be babies.

Arriving from Real Madrid, the defensive midfielder made more than 200 appearances in a Chelsea shirt and won the league in his last two seasons.

Simply put, Makelele was a master of his trade.

1. N’Golo Kante (£32m, 2016)

There haven’t been many signings in football history as smart as Leicester City’s capture of Kante for £5.6m in 2015, but Chelsea’s acquisition of him for more than five times that price a year later could still be up there.

One of the most inspiring players in Leicester’s title win, Kante shone again after his move to Chelsea, lifting the Premier League trophy again within a year and being named the competition’s player of the season to boot.

Prime Kante was sensational and prime Kante is what Chelsea got. He ultimately gave them seven years of service, making more than 250 appearances and becoming a World Cup winner with his country in the midst of it all.

Not just one of Chelsea’s best Frenchmen, but one of the best the Premier League has ever seen.

Bakayoko was as good as him though, remember.