Chelsea's most successful manager in recent times has been Thomas Tuchel.
The German tactician, who led the Blues to Champions League glory over Manchester City in 2021, was the last manager to deliver any sort of silverware to Stamford Bridge.
He recorded 63 wins in 100 matches and only tasted defeat 18 times in 20 months while reaching both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals in the 2021/22 season.
Despite this success, Todd Boehly and co ultimately decided that Tuchel wasn't the right man to take the club forward and according to his ex-wife, he was dismissed in September 2022 due to "off-field reasons and because the players lost respect for him".
While Tuchel's spell in charge ended on a sour note, so too did Chelsea's business during his time at the club, with the 50-year-old misfiring across all fronts in the transfer window.
He brought in the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Saul Niguez and Marcus Bettinelli – who all failed in the blue shirt – and also sold a whole host of talented stars, including Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Olivier Giroud, the latter of which has gone on to make the Blues regret selling him in 2021.
How did Olivier Giroud perform for Chelsea?
Throughout his career, Giroud has become such a likeable figure everywhere's been. During his six-year stint at Arsenal, the Frenchman earned plaudits for his consistent goal-scoring and his ability to produce the spectacular, scoring 105 times and assisting a further 41 in 253 appearances for the Gunners.
So it came as no surprise to see many Arsenal fans frustrated at the club's decision to sell him to their rivals for £18m in 2018, with Arsene Wenger claiming a year earlier that the striker was performing at the pinnacle of his powers.
He said: "I know how important he is not only as a player – he’s a fantastic player – but also in the group he has a big weight. It was a relief for me he decided to stay. Giroud in his prime is at the top of his game."
After moving to west London, Giroud would become a pivotal figure in the club's quest for European dominance and the "top level" forward – as formerly claimed by Wenger – would perform exceptionally in Europe's top two competitions.
In 2018/19, his eye-watering 11 goals and five assists in 14 appearances helped the Blues win the Europa League, ironically scoring the winner against his former club in the final.
Then in the 2020/21 campaign, the 6 foot 4 phenom would play an integral role in the Blues' run to the Champions League final, having scored a sensational six times in eight appearances, including all four goals in their 4-0 victory over Sevilla.
Given those standout performances on the big stage, it begs the question as to why Tuchel sold him to AC Milan for a measly £1m in the summer of 2021.
How many goals has Giroud scored since leaving Chelsea?
While supporters have been made to sit through the transfer saga involving Romelu Lukaku, the toothless Kai Havertz and the struggling displays of Nicolas Jackson since Giroud's departure, the Frenchman has been a revelation for AC Milan.
At the remarkable age of 37, the sublime finisher has showcased his final-third expertise at the Rossoneri and left Chelsea fans frustrated with the form he's producing.
In 95 appearances for Milan, he's scored 36 goals and supplied 14 assists, a total that has seen him outscore every Chelsea player since his departure.
The 126-cap international also outperformed the majority of his positional peers in the Serie A last season, ranking in the top 16% for non-penalty goals, top 4% for aerials won, top 18% for assists and top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty box, as per FBref.
Giroud's powers in front of goal have also shown no signs of slowing down in this campaign either with four goals and three assists in eight appearances in the Serie A.
The talented Frenchman may be approaching the twilight years of his career, but if anything, he's aged like a fine wine and he continues to make Chelsea regret selling him for such a nominal fee.