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Real Madrid’s victory over Eibar in many ways summed up their season so far.

They showed off some of the best parts of their game – their midfield muscle had little trouble controlling proceedings, and they were clinically ruthless in front of goal. Yet their dominance was underpinned with a mental fragility that had the visitors fancying themselves as they attempted to overturn a three-goal advantage.

The manner in which they finished the game would not have had Zinedine Zidane praising his players to the heavens in the pristine Bernabeu dressing room, but when the meticulous Frenchman issues his debriefings after a mission accomplished, there will be a couple of players exempt from any real criticism.

One of them will be Eden Hazard.

So far, the Belgian has shown the occasional hint of the player who scored over 100 goals for Chelsea, but too often it has been undercut with something else. Between criticisms of his fitness and his struggles with injury, too often he has looked distracted by what is going on off the pitch and in the physio room.

That was the case in a bleak 1-0 defeat to Levante before the pandemic-enforced break, as he played a passive role off the left in an ineffectual forward line.

Three months without football later, you might have forgiven Hazard for fixating on his situation and falling further into the doldrums. But whatever he’s been doing with his time off, it looks to have worked.

Starting for the first time since February, from the first minute against Eibar, he looked rejuvenated. Though rusty and still a little tentative, the sluggish, ponderous player we previously struggled to recognise as Hazard was replaced by a sparky, nimble live-wire, armed with the rudimentary aim of getting on the ball and carrying it forward.

He only lasted an hour before Zidane rung in the changes to keep his charges fresh, but in that time he was heavily involved in three Real goals – pressing for the first, selflessly laying off Sergio Ramos for the second, and hitting the by-line and forcing the rebound from Marko Dmitrovic for Marcelo to lash in the third.

In particular, his relationship with Karim Benzema was striking. In previous appearances together, the two have lacked an understanding, leading to a fragmented and fractured forward line. But there was no sign of that here.

Hazard – starting on the left before switching flanks with the lively Rodrygo – looked as if he’d spent his entire career playing on the Frenchman’s shoulder, knowing precisely when to come short and when to run in behind to take advantage of his impressive hold-up play.

All-in-all, this wasn’t Hazard back at his best – his almighty track record being what it is, we’ll know when that happens.

What it was, however, was a reminder that the Hazard whose Premier League performances bordered on Ballon d’Or quality is still buried in there somewhere. And with Real facing a hectic slate of fixtures in the weeks and months to come, Zidane will be all to keen to give that player plenty of chances to further emerge.

While Liverpool are runaway leaders at the top of the Premier League – despite it’s best efforts, not even a global pandemic is going to stop them from winning their first top flight title for 30 years – at the bottom of the table, things couldn’t be more different.

Aston Villa in 19th are just four points off Brighton in 15th but have a game in hand, while just goal difference is currently keeping West Ham and Watford out of the drop zone at the expense of Bournemouth. Squeaky bum time if ever I saw it.

Norwich are slightly cut adrift at the bottom of the table, but could still find themselves out of the relegation places with just two wins.

With proceedings at the bottom poised to be settled by the finest of margins and go right down to the wire, let’s take a look at the key fixtures that could decide the fate of the relegation candidates.

Norwich and Brighton have both sacrificed defensive solidity for open, expansive, attractive football this season, which, while entertaining, has seen the two sides on the receiving end of some hefty score lines.

Eight points currently separate the pair, but this could be all change by the time they meet in the fourth round of fixtures.

The match could be especially important for Brighton, as it is the final time they face a relegation rival before the season is out. The Seagulls – who are yet to win this year – have a particularly tricky run in, with fixtures against Leicester, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City on the horizon.

The pair had spent much of the season marooned at the foot of the Premier League table together, but the Hornets have pulled away since the appointment of Nigel Pearson in December.

The former Leicester boss has instilled some resilience into this Watford side, although the loss of Gerard Deulofeu – whose creativity was really shining under Pearson – for the the rest of the season due to an ACL injury could prove costly.

Six points currently separate the two sides, with Watford emerging victorious in the reverse fixture at Carrow Road in November – recording their first league victory of the season in the process.

This is why the Canaries are still in with more than just a fighting chance of beating the drop, despite currently sitting six points from safety; they have three games remaining against three relegation rivals in the space of a week.

Whether having these potentially pivotal fixtures congested into a seven day period is a positive or a negative remains to be seen, but it could be one hell of a way to build some momentum.

The Hammers are currently six points ahead of Norwich, and beat Daniel Farke’s side at the start of the season before their campaign unravelled and David Moyes was parachuted in. The former Manchester United boss was gradually easing in marquee January signing Jarrod Bowen before coronavirus struck, and if the winger can find his feet quickly, he could prove to be instrumental.

The pair are currently level on points, with just a +2 goal difference keeping the Hammers above the Hornets.

Watford and West Ham meet in the third final game of the season, before Nigel Pearson’s side see out their campaign with fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal – who may both just be playing for pride when they take on Watford.

West Ham meanwhile have a trip to Manchester United in their penultimate game of the campaign – who could still have everything to play for in the battle for the Champions League – before a particularly tasty final day of the season encounter.

Southampton have a bit of daylight between themselves and bottom three, having pulled seven points clear after turning a corner following their Leicester City mauling.

Bournemouth however are right in the thick of the relegation battle, with just a goal difference of +1 separating them from safety.

The Saints will probably need two more wins to be certain of their Premier League status – but may have been dragged into trouble by the time they face Bournemouth if they start slowly. A South Coast derby on the penultimate day of the season, with Premier League survival hanging in the balance, could be a tense affair.

The final day of the season has served up a mouthwatering, potentially relegation deciding clash between West Ham and Aston Villa.

Villa are currently two points behind the Hammers, but will leap above them and out of the drop zone should they win their game in hand against Sheffield United.

Dean Smith’s side have a difficult run in, with games against Chelsea, Wolves, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal still to come, but will be boosted by the returning John McGinn, who has left a substantial void in his injury enforced absence since December.

Southampton (A); Everton (H); Arsenal (A); Brighton (H); Watford (A); West Ham (H); Chelsea (A); Burnley (H); Manchester City (A)

Sheffield United (H); Chelsea (A); Newcastle (H); Wolves (H); Liverpool (A); Manchester United (H); Crystal Palace (H); Everton (A); Arsenal (H); West Ham (A)

Crystal Palace (H); Wolves (A); Newcastle (H); Manchester United (A); Tottenham (H); Leicester (H); Manchester City (A); Southampton (H); Everton (A)

Leicester (H); Burnley (A); Southampton (H); Chelsea (A); Norwich (H); Newcastle (H); West Ham (A); Man Cit (H); Arsenal (A)

Wolves (H); Tottenham (A); Chelsea (H); Newcastle (A); Burnley (H); Norwich (A); Watford (H); Manchester United (A); Aston Villa (H)

Arsenal (H); Leicester (A); Manchester United (H); Norwich (A); Liverpool (H); Manchester City (H); Southampton (A); Newcastle (H); Burnley (A)

Project Restart: No Ball Boys, Clinical Passports & BLM as Premier League Clubs Vote on Rule Changes

Premier League clubs are reported to have voted through an extensive list of rule modifications, in one of the final steps towards English football returning next week.

Discussions have been ongoing for months over how to safely resume football in England, with the coronavirus pandemic going nowhere any time soon.

But while it once seemed an impossibility that the 2019/20 season would resume at all, the financial implications of curtailing the campaign on top-flight clubs proved too grim, and it was announced late last month that the Premier League would return on 17 June.

When Aston Villa and Sheffield United kick us off on Wednesday, however, it won’t quite be the same as we remember it. Stadiums will be closed to fans with only artificial crowd noise creating the atmosphere for those at home, while five substitutions – as opposed to the usual three – will be permitted in order to help manage player fitness.

The changes don’t stop there, however, far from it. As reported by The Telegraph, the league has tabled a detailed list of alterations in order to keep players and staff safe, which has been unanimously voted through by Premier League clubs.

Just a few of those changes will see ball boys replaced with a system of sterilised match balls placed on cones surrounding the pitch, while players will have to sanitise their hands before and after entering the field of play.

Stadiums will be limited to an average of 300 people in attendance, although movement within the arenas will be strictly regimented. Only 105 people at a time will be permitted to enter the ‘red’ zone; which covers the pitch, technical area, tunnel and changing rooms.

Any individual entering those areas will have a ‘clinical passport’ downloaded onto their phone, which will indicate upon barcode scanning that they have been tested for coronavirus in the last ten days.

Meanwhile, the first round of fixtures will see players wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ in lieu of their names on the back of their shirts, in solidarity with George Floyd and the countless other victims of systemic racism in the US and beyond.

After falling into obscurity following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the future finally appears a little brighter for those on the red side of Manchester.

Whether it be the Jadon Sancho links, Bruno Fernandes’ arrival, the emphasis on a youth-led revolution or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking like he can actually coach, there’s reason to believe the Red Devils will re-emerge as a gargantuan European force in the 2020s.

But we’ve got to take just a little step back for now and focus on the short-term ahead of the Premier League’s long awaited comeback on June 17. With nine games remaining, United sit fifth (the potential final Champions League spot) in the table and will travel to top-four/five rivals Tottenham in their first game back. A monster clash right off the bat.

Nevertheless, with a returning Paul Pogba and Fernandes shoo-ins for Solskjaer’s starting XI – fitness permitting – the Norwegian will have to make the tricky decision as to who’ll partner the creative mavericks in United’s three man midfield.

Whether it’s in a 4-3-3, 5-3-2 or 4-2-3-1, Solskjaer needs that third guy who’ll complement deep-lying playmaker Pogba and roaming creator Fernandes, providing balance to a mightily talented midfield.

Here are the prime candidates…

The man who made Gary Neville eat his own words in a matter of weeks, Fred’s rotonda this term has proved pivotal in United’s rediscovery of a functioning midfield amid Pogba’s absence.

Chastened by his first 15 months or so at Old Trafford, Fred consistently showed between December and March why the Red Devils forked out over £52m to secure his services in the summer of 2018; starring in victories over Spurs and Manchester City (x2) as well as the defeat at Liverpool.

He’s proved to be mightily effective when utilised as the ball-winning number eight; using his mobility to engage in duels all over the pitch and disrupt opponents in the build-up phase, while also proving adept at breaking opposition lines in possession with crisp, line-breaking vertical passes.

Despite his exponential improvement, however, Fred might not be the profile of midfielder Ole’s looking for to partner the dynamic duo. The Brazilian’s too tenacious and eager to play in a sensible number six role, often getting beat in one-v-one situations because of this, and overall, he won’t provide the balance the United boss requires.

‘I thought McTominay played well, though’ was a regular takeaway from many of United’s games amid a pretty dismal first half of the campaign. The Scotsman was one of the very few shining lights.

Blessed with supreme athleticism, fine technical attributes and a Mo Farah-like engine, McTominay is set to become a prominent member of this United side in the years to come, but much like Fred, it’s hard to envisage him getting into this side unless Pogba is converted into a more disciplined six.

However, while the Scot is a box-to-box number eight, his skill set’s a little more suited for playing in a positional role compared to the Brazilian. He’s more intelligent, disciplined and tactically aware.

Similarly, the 23-year-old could be deployed as part of a double pivot next to Pogba in 4-2-3-1, with Bruno functioning as the ten.

The Serb’s renaissance since the turn of the new year was pivotal in United’s success up until the break in March. Matic had formed a fine relationship with Fred as part of the double pivot.

The positional Matic’s astute screening of the defence allowed the tenacious Fred to serve as a the tenacious ‘destroyer’, N’Golo Kante style. The pair complemented one another wonderfully well.

Nevertheless, if the 31-year-old is able to rediscover the form on display at the start of the year, there’s no doubting he’ll be the ideal partner for the pair of mavericks in midfield, no matter what system Ole opts for.

The Serb’s defensive nous and stellar ability at shunning the opposition’s progression in central areas is ultimately superior to other candidates, granting Pogba and Bruno greater freedom to impact proceedings from an attacking perspective.

Fred and Matic’s respective resurgences have made this an incredibly tough call, especially after McTominay endured an injury set-back at the end of 2019.

However, Fred’s drawbacks from a positional perspective – he can’t play as a six or without a Matic-like partner – probably leaves him as the third-choice out of the three and he’ll have to settle for a rotational role with Pogba.

Despite Matic’s superior capabilities as a midfield screener, it might be worth Ole having a look at McSauce in a defensive midfield role because, well, he’s a better footballer than Matic at this point in the Serb’s career.

Manchester United are interested in a potential deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso this summer, with a French report suggesting the club have already started discussions with his representatives.

They aren’t alone in registering their interest for the Frenchman, however, with Inter also tempted by the player as they pursue midfield reinforcements of their own.

Tolisso has struggled to make a significant impact at Bayern since moving from Lyon in 2017, and journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport reports that the German giants are willing to let him go for an offer in the region of €35m.

The 25-year-old has stalled in recent months, only managing 24 appearances in all competitions this season after falling out of favour under new Bayern manager Hansi Flick.

United are likely to be one of the most active participants in a coronavirus-impacted transfer window this summer, and are in pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho as their primary target. They are also pursuing the likes of Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham, though are battling with Borussia Dortmund for the latter.

Tolisso, an attacking option who can also play box-to-box, seems an inevitable option given his availability.

Inter, meanwhile, have been linked with a plethora of midfielders in recent months.

The likes of Mario Gotze, Sandro Tonali and previously Sergej Milinkovic-Savic have all been credited as possible targets, though Tonali apears the most likely as it stands. Inter have money to play with at the moment following the recent sale of Mauro Icardi to PSG for around €50m, while Lautaro Martinez is Barcelona’s main summer target.

A ruptured knee ligament has played its part in Tolisso’s misfortune at Bayern, which has affected his form since signing for €41.5m in 2017. Bayern’s willingness to accept a cut-price for the Frenchman seems to suggest that his future in Flick’s side is very much in doubt.

Manchester United were forced to cancel their friendly with Stoke City at the last minute after Potters manager Michael O’Neill tested positive for coronavirus.

The two teams were set to play at United’s AON training complex, but the game was scrapped moments before kick off after Stoke received the results of their latest round of COVID-19 testing.

It was initially unknown who had returned the positive test, with the Telegraph breaking the news that the game had been called off. But Stoke have subsequently taken to their official website to confirm that it’s O’Neill, not one of the players, who has tested positive, and he will now self-isolate for 14 days, missing Stoke’s Championship return match against Reading.

“Stoke City can confirm that manager Michael O’Neill has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus following the latest round of testing on Monday (June 8),” the club’s statement read.

“O’Neill had tested negative in the previous five rounds of testing. He will now follow the relevant guidance and undergo a period of isolation, whilst continuing to be in regular virtual contact with his coaching staff and players.

“Assistant manager Billy McKinlay will take charge of training as the Potters prepare for their game against Reading on June 20. The club will be making no further comment on this matter.”

In a bid to gain match fitness ahead of the return of English football this month, Premier League and Championship clubs have been organising warm-up matches behind closed doors to get up to speed.

United, not wanting to waste the day, subsequently split into teams again and played a warm-up match amongst themselves as Stoke left the training ground, with a number of players once again posting images from training on social media.

Stoke’s players and staff, meanwhile, had to individually drive up to United’s training ground for the friendly, as per social distancing guidelines, before all having to leave again at around midday after the game was called off.

O’Neill’s positive test is the third case to be confirmed from over 1,179 Championship players and club staff who were tested.

Lionel Messi returned to full Barcelona training on Monday following a minor injury scare, making an anticipated recovery ahead of La Liga’s restart.

Barcelona return to league action on Saturday after a three month hiatus as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, having returned to training at the beginning of May.

The reigning Spanish champions kick off their La Liga resumption with a trip to Mallorca, but were without Messi for a handful group training sessions last week, triggering concerns that he could miss their first game back.

The Barcelona captain missed two session and trained on his own on Friday and Saturday due to a minor quadriceps injury.

The club always insisted that Messi would be fit for Saturday’s clash with Mallorca, with manager Quique Setien asserting he was fine, and the Argentinian was pictured on the club’s official Twitter account training without any problems on Monday.

Messi is the league’s top scorer this season, with 19 goals in 22 appearances. He missed over a month of action at the beginning of the campaign due to a foot injury.

Full back Nelson Semedo and midfielder Monchu Rodriguez were pictured participating in full training too, having both taken recent knocks.

Barcelona will also be boosted by the return of Luis Suarez for La Liga’s restart. The Uruguayan has been absent since January with a knee injury, but Barcelona have confirmed that he will be available for their first game back.

The Catalan giants will need as strong of a squad as possible for season’s conclusion as the title race heats up and the games come thick and fast.

Barcelona currently sit two points ahead of rivals Real Madrid at La Liga’s summit, with 11 games left to play.

They face a tight turnaround during the first week of fixtures, with the visit of Leganes coming just three days after their trip to Mallorca.

Odsonne Edouard is going to leave Celtic, and pretty soon.

It might not be next summer, it might not be in January, it might not be until 2021. But as history shows, there comes a point for the vast majority of the Hoops’ top players when they outgrow the SPFL and decide to try their hand in one of Europe’s major leagues.

Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Scott Brown are the recent exceptions, but the list of those to take the leap of faith is far greater; Moussa Dembélé, Kieran Tierney, Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster…oh, and a little fella called Virgil van Dijk.

It’s an illustrious list, and new contract or no new contract, it’s one Edouard will almost certainly be signing his name to before too long.

How could he not? His development in Glasgow has been steadily exceptional, carrying him to a point where now, against your average Scottish Premiership defender, he looks like he’s playing FIFA on amateur difficulty.

At the point the season was curtailed and Celtic were declared champions for the ninth successive season, he’d scored 22 league goals; nine more than Jermain Defoe, his nearest competitor.

Despite all that, however, the field of reporting on his future has been surprisingly diluted. There have been interested parties, and no shortage of them – Leicester, Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester United and even Chelsea, who 90min understand were interested back in February – but those rumours, in comparison to the fanfare surrounding his former Celtic teammate Dembélé, have been oddly few and far between.

Liverpool are one name so far absent from the frame, but with Chelsea having seemingly taken their name out of consideration by sniping Jurgen Klopp’s ‘primary’ transfer target from under their noses, you wonder if that will be for long.

It’s easy to look at Edouard and assume he wouldn’t fit at Anfield. Klopp’s predominant system, after all, has little use for a traditional number nine, as demonstrated by Roberto Firmino thriving as an unconventional link-up man, and Divock Origi’s struggles when occasionally deployed through the middle.

Looking at Edouard, at face value a physical, cumbersome centre forward, you might wave him to one side, but he deceptively has far more to his game. The 22-year-old’s ball control, hold up play and deceptive work-rate, in fact, put him closer to Firmino in his style of play than Dembélé, to whom he is so often lazily compared.

Of the two, Dembélé is quicker and more powerful, your traditional predatory striker; but while Edouard is far from under-rated in Scotland, he is far more of a multi-faceted all-round forward than he gets any credit for.

He’s never going to play wide left and cover for Sadio Mané, granted, but with Takumi Minamino’s emergence seemingly putting Klopp off a move for Milot Rashica, the versatility of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and the emergence of Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones as genuine first-team options, the need for a new central striker at Anfield is far greater than that for any wide cover.

Hence why Timo Werner – primarily a central striker who just so happens to have played off the left on occasion in the past – was the main target until now.

The other consideration here is that top-level English clubs, whether due to caution or blind arrogance, have a tendency not to sign first-team players directly from Scotland.

Normally, a middle man is required – usually Southampton – before Liverpool, Tottenham or anyone else will pull the trigger. But with every Celtic success story, it seems to be changing.

As Lyon have shown with the development of Dembélé into one of Europe’s most coveted marksmen, there is a clear financial gain to be made from cutting out the halfway house. Liverpool, of course, will know this themselves; they paid £75m for a defender Southampton signed for less than £15m, and he’s since become the best in the world in his position.

Arsenal’s move for Tierney, for a Celtic record of close to £30m, is further evidence that no stepping stone is required beyond Parkhead – and in the case of Edouard, it might just be time to prove that beyond any shadow of a doubt.

The Liverpool recruitment team are the masters of picking left-field diamonds from the rough. Huge moves for Van Dijk and Alisson aside, they’ve built a team on educated gambles; £37m for Sadio Mané here, £25m for Georginio Wijnaldum there, £38m for Mohamed Salah here, £8m for Andy Robertson there.

Quietly securing Edouard, then, while rivals fall over each other for Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Moussa Dembélé or whoever proves to be June’s flavour of the month, would in many ways be the ultimate Liverpool transfer.

The rate at which he’s improving, in any case, suggests that whatever fee is paid for him now will look like a bargain in a couple of years’ time.

The modern day footballer is often associated with flashy cars, multi-million pound mansions and luxury lifestyles. But Thomas Muller doesn’t fit that narrative at all.

In fact, the German forward is so out of sync with the current wave of superstars, he can be seen as an unfashionable selection in a team designed to dazzle and destroy in style. But the only thing more underrated than Muller himself is his value to this Bayern team, and just how instrumental he is in making the Bundesliga champions tick.

As football fans, we are desperate to pigeonhole players into specific roles, or bill them as the next big thing. But 12 years after making his debut, we are yet to put our finger on what role Muller actually performs in this Bayern side.

In Germany however, they were much quicker to peg the 30-year-old to a specific position, and they even had a name for it: The Raumdeuter. Which of course, translates as ‘the space investigator’. But what exactly does a space investigator do?

Well, beyond the obvious – which is hinted at in the title – the Raumdeuter is a creature of instinct, who loiters out wide, darting into pockets of space and waiting for the right time to strike. And given the lack of other examples of such footballing animals, we can safely say that Muller is the best in the business at what he does (whatever that is).

And the statistics support these claims. Opta highlighted the importance of the space investigator following Bayern’s comprehensive 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen, after he clocked his 20th league assist of the season.

Just to give that fact the context it deserves, it’s the first time a player has managed that particular feat across Europe’s top five leagues since Kevin de Bruyne lit up Germany with Wolfsburg over the 2014/15 campaign.

And it’s not just his ability to bring his teammates into play that makes Muller one of the most curious and impressive players on the planet. He has also registered seven league goals, and could well reach double figures by the time the season draws to an end.

Muller is a team player, a man who spots, penetrates and exploits space like no other, leaving defenders scratching their heads over who should be marking this evasive and mystical creature. All in all, he’s a manager and player’s dream.

He is the glue that keeps the team together, the cement that neatly fills the cracks of your patio – he’s the tasty, soft centre of a custard cream which makes it oh, so dunkable in a good ol’ cuppa.

And the Bayern man is showing no signs of stopping. That is, apart from next week, of course.

Muller picked up a yellow card during the destruction of Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon, meaning he is suspended for their upcoming clash with Borussia Monchengladbach next weekend. And impressively, it is the first time that the space investigator will sit out a Bundesliga match due to suspension in his entire career.

A minor blemish on a squeaky-clean CV.

So for those of us who are still unsure of what Muller offers to this Bayern team, tune in to watch their Monchengladbach battle next week, and you may find that he is the player you’ve always needed, but foolishly never wanted.

There has been an eruption of excitement at Stamford Bridge after it was revealed that Chelsea had come out of nowhere to secure the signing of Timo Werner from under the nose of Liverpool.

Werner is one of the most sought-after strikers around in a limited market, and only Robert Lewandowski has scored more goals in the Bundesliga than him this season – so Chelsea, it’s a real coup.

Germany have great pedigree in world football, boasting four World Cups and three European Championships at international level, as well as six Champions Leagues at club level. German players are often praised for their work ethic and determination to win, and Werner will doubtless add a lot to a Chelsea front line which already includes Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and the incoming Hakim Ziyech.

The Blues don’t have a long list of German’s to have previously played for them however, with Werner set to become only the seventh to ever pull on the Chelsea shirt. The previous six are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from club legends to total flops.

Let’s take a look…

Chelsea waited until the year 2000 to sign their first German player – although Sebastian Kneißl can’t claim to be the first to play for the club.

Signed in July 2000 from Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth set up, Kneißl came with a big reputation, which was further enhanced by his occasional wonderkid performances on Championship Manager 2000/01.

He spent five years in west London – in the same reserve side as Carlton Cole – never once making it onto the pitch for the senior team. After poor loan spells at Dundee and Westerlo, he was released to SV Wacker Burghausen in his native Germany. Good start.

There was a time when Marko Marin was one of the most exciting young players in the world – even dubbed ‘the German Messi’. Then he signed for Chelsea.

The £8m fee was seen as a bargain at the time, but it soon became apparent why Werder Bremen accepted such a low offer.

Marin never got going, looked out of his depth, and spent three of the four years he was contracted to Chelsea out on loan at an ever-decreasing quality of club – Sevilla, Fiorentina, Anderlecht, Trabzonspor – before Olympiakos finally ended his nightmare. Currently not fulfilling his potential in Saudi Arabia after leaving Serbia’s Red Star in January, Marin only avoids being bottom here by virtue of Kneißl never playing.

Signing in 2001, it was Huth who became the first German to actually play for Chelsea, though his time at Stamford Bridge is often forgotten about. Nonetheless, Huth managed 63 games for Chelsea during a transitional period in the clubs history, as he was there during the Abramovich takeover.

A very capable centre-back, Huth managed enough appearances between 2004 and 2006 to collect two Premier League winners’ medals, despite Chelsea having that legendary partnership of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. He is, however, much better remembered for being a key member of Leicester’s historic title-winning team of 2015/16, coming after a solid career at Middlesbrough and Stoke.

Schürrle was an often overlooked figure at Stamford Bridge, but he never let Chelsea down when he was on the pitch.

Schürrle signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 for €22m, during a rebuilding summer which also saw Willian arrive. Deployed out wide over Mohammed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, he became a fan favourite during his maiden season at the Bridge.

After a great 2014 World Cup, in which he assisted the tournament-winning goal, his game time reduced as Chelsea won the league, and he was sold to Wolfsburg for €32m at the end of the January transfer window.

One of Chelsea’s current stars, Antonio Rüdiger is one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League.

Rudi has made 105 appearances for Chelsea since his €35m transfer from Roma in 2017 and shown his defensive capabilities, as well as his attacking prowess when he bagged a brace against Leicester in February.

Chelsea always look like a far better team with Rüdiger at the back, and he inspires confidence in everyone around him. Chelsea fans will no doubt hope that he and Werner can become a famous duo at the club for years to come.

One of the greatest free transfers in the history of the sport, Michael Ballack took Chelsea up a level when he joined from Bayern Munich in 2006. Among the finest players of his generation, Ballack was the complete midfielder who improved the play of everyone around him, including a certain Frank Lampard.

Ballack was tasked with helping an ageing Claude Makélélé’s transition out of the team, and without the German, there’s no telling what could have happened to that midfield.

The German deserved more than one Premier League title to show for his 167 games for Chelsea, thankfully he had three Bundesliga medals on his mantelpiece already.