As one of the most talented midfielders in Premier League history, Frank Lampard is one of Chelsea’s greatest all-time legends.
In 13 years at Stamford Bridge Lampard netted 211 times, becoming the club’s all-time top goal scorer and currently sits fifth on the Premier League-leading goalscorer chart.
he was instrumental in the West London team’s rise to the pinnacle of not just English football but European, with him making 648 appearances for the club as well as winning three top-flight titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and a Champions League.
The former England international was originally brought to Chelsea in 2001 from West Ham for a fee of £11million as Claudio Ranieri looked to revamp the squad during his first summer transfer window at the club.
Lampard was, however, not the only player Ranieri chose to sign during the window, with three other players also joining the club that summer. We take a look at the faces who joined the club alongside Lampard and see how they fared.
William Gallas
The first, and cheapest, signing for Chelsea of the 2001 summer transfer window, Gallas joined the Blues for £6.2million from Ligue 1 side Marseille.
The centre-back immediately slotted into the side’s back line, firstly forming a strong partnership in the heart of the defence with Marcel Desailly and later John Terry during his five-year stay at the club.
Gallas made 225 appearances for the Blues, becoming a key player during the title-winning seasons of 2004-05 and 2005-06 under manager Jose Mourinho.
And he became renowned for his tackling and ball-playing abilities in what has since become thought of as one of the best defensive units in Premier League history.
During his final season at the club in 2005-06, he even began to acquire a reputation for scoring important goals, with vital strikes against Liverpool and Manchester United as well as, most memorably, a last-minute screamer at home to Tottenham.
The former France international would eventually end his successful stay at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2006 by joining London rivals Arsenal as part of the deal which took left-back Ashley Cole the other way.
Boudewijn Zenden
Of the four players signed by Chelsea during the summer of 2021, Zenden probably made the least impact at Stamford Bridge
The Netherlands international struggled to nail down a first-team slot after his £7.5million move from Barcelona, making 43 Premier League appearances across two seasons before eventually being sent on loan to Middlesbrough for the 2003-04 season.
The midfielder eventually departed the club permanently in 2004 before moving to Liverpool a season later.
Zenden finally finished his career while at Sunderland, though he did return to Stamford Bridge as assistant coach to Rafa Benitez in 2012.
READ: Bolo Zenden recalls his varied career: Barca, Boro, Liverpool, Sunderland…
Emmanuel Petit
Chelsea beat off strong interest from Manchester United and Tottenham to secure the signing of Petit back in 2001.
He signed for Ranieri’s side from Barcelona for £7.5million following a disappointing first season in Spain but struggled to re-create the form of his earlier career during his time at Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchmen began the 2001-02 season as a regular first-team player but quickly lost his place in the line-up after a disappointing start, taking until March 2002 to score his first goal for the club.
He did, however, begin to turn things around during his second campaign in West London, finally beginning to form a strong partnership in the middle with Lampard as Chelsea managed to sneak a fourth-place finish.
Injuries began to hit during the following campaign though, with him being confined to just four Premier League appearances all year.
Following the 2003-04 season, Petit was released and subsequently retired after failing to find a new club.
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