Welcome to Last Word on Football’s ‘Returning Players’ series. In this edition, we look at former Chelsea defender, Graeme Le Saux.
The left-back joined Chelsea as a youngster and spent four seasons at Stamford Bridge before joining Blackburn Rovers. He was part of the team that won the Premier League title but returned to Chelsea in 1997, becoming the most expensive defender in English football.
Returning Players – Graeme Le Saux
First Spell at Chelsea
Born in Jersey, Graeme Le Saux was spotted by then-Chelsea manager John Hollins while playing in a tournament for St. Paul’s. In December 1987, the left-back moved to England and signed for the Blues.
Having made his debut on the final day of Chelsea’s 1988/89 Division Two winning season against Portsmouth, he would go on to become an integral part of the Blues squad.
The full-back scored nine goals and turned out 120 times for Chelsea before his departure, which was largely inflicted by his frustration with manager Ian Porterfield for being regularly substituted.
Teams That Graeme Le Saux Played for in Between
Le Saux was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £700,000 in 1993. The Lancashire club was being built by wealthy patron Jack Walker and the full-back was seen as a vital component of a title-challenging squad.
Under manager Kenny Dalglish, Le Saux and Blackburn finished second in the Premier League while his first league goal came in a 2-0 win over his former club. Despite missing out on first place, the club then secured the title in 1994/95, helped along the way with the likes of Alan Shearer.
An ankle injury limited Le Saux’s appearances the following season and even ruled him out of Euro 1996, but he went on to make 154 appearances for Rovers, scoring seven goals.
Return to Chelsea
In 1997, Le Saux became the most expensive defender in English football when he rejoined Chelsea in a deal with £5 million.
The left-back would spend a further six seasons at Stamford Bridge, winning the League Cup, Charity Shield, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Chelsea had become a much more established club in his second spell in London, and the experience of winning a title, coupled with some exciting imports, made the Blues an enjoyable team to watch during that period.
Le Saux was sent off as Chelsea won 4-3 at Ewood Park in 1998, showing that the discipline side of his game still needed addressing, and would even end his career with 30 yellow cards and four dismissals.
However, the left-back added a further seven goals from 192 outings in his second spell at the club. He joined Southampton in 2003 and retired from football following the Saints relegation in 2005.
From 36 England appearances, Le Saux scored once against Brazil, which was later voted in the top 20 England goals.
Main Photo
