Branislav Ivanovic, one of Chelsea’s finest ever players, was allowed to quietly leave through the Stamford Bridge back door and head for Zenit St. Petersburg.
The Blues really don’t learn.
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Although they do try, with Roman Abramovich now sending every former Chelsea player a hamper at Christmas time, once they’ve reached the grand old age of 50.
A lovely gesture. And it’s important to remember your history. But juggling too many balls means you eventually drop one.
Frank Lampard was made to feel like he was a mere footnote in Chelsea’s history, rather than the London club’s all-time leading goalscorer, when he left Stamford Bridge. And John Terry, the Premier League’s greatest ever centre-back, had to go public in order to force the Chelsea hierarchy’s hand regarding getting a new contract.
“Unfortunately it was a no. It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea. It’s going to be elsewhere, which it took me a couple of days to get over.”
John Terry
Branislav Ivanovic is now the latest player of *that* era of Blues players to be cast aside, quietly and without much fuss, even after nearly a decade of highly consistent service.
The Serbian international isn’t statue-worthy or retiring of the shirt number, but a final runout, in front of a disinterested crowd against Brentford, in a tournament that means nothing, didn’t really showcase the legacy Ivanovic made in west London.
The now-Zenit St. Petersburg defender will go down as one of the best pound-for-pound signings in Premier League history, in a transfer market where value for money is no longer a phrase regularly said. And Chelsea didn’t even have the decency to make sure the door didn’t hit him on the way out.
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