{"id":586535,"date":"2021-04-07T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T10:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=586535"},"modified":"2021-03-13T03:29:43","modified_gmt":"2021-03-13T08:29:43","slug":"returning-players-graeme-le-saux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/04\/07\/returning-players-graeme-le-saux\/","title":{"rendered":"Returning Players: Graeme Le Saux"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to Last Word on Football’s ‘Returning Players’ series. In this edition, we look at former Chelsea<\/a> defender, Graeme Le Saux<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The left-back joined Chelsea as a youngster and spent four seasons at Stamford Bridge before joining Blackburn Rovers<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

Returning Players – Graeme Le Saux<\/h2>\n

First Spell at Chelsea<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Teams That Graeme Le Saux Played for in Between<\/h3>\n

Le Saux was sold to Blackburn Rovers for \u00a3700,000 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Return to Chelsea<\/h3>\n

In 1997, Le Saux became the most expensive defender in English football when he rejoined Chelsea in a deal with \u00a35 million.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/u> enjoyable team to watch during that period.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

From 36 England appearances, Le Saux scored once against Brazil<\/a>, which was later voted in the top 20 England goals.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>