Every player to play for Chelsea and Liverpool in the Premier League (Ranked) | OneFootball

Highlights

Two of the biggest clubs in English football lock horns once again on Wednesday night as Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield. Giving us a preview for this year's Carabao Cup final, the two sides will be looking to score a mental advantage as Jurgen Klopp leads his side out against the Blues for the final time in the Premier League.

Previous clashes between the pair have seen many memorable moments, whether that be Gerrard's slip or Luis Garcia's ghost goal. It's not just controversial moments that have been shared either. It's players too. A total of 13 individuals have represented both Chelsea and Liverpool during their careers. So why not try to rank them from worst to best?

Here at GIVEMESPORT, that's exactly what we are going to try and do. We are going to take into account their statistics at each club, what they won during their spells and, in some cases, also consider how they fared away from London or Merseyside. So, without further ado, let's find out who's the best player to feature for both Chelsea and Liverpool.

1 Mo Salah

Chelsea 2014-16, Liverpool 2017-Present

The Egyptian king has been nothing short of a superstar since joining Liverpool in 2017. It is a complete contrast to what his time in the capital was like. At Chelsea, the forward was used sparingly at best. Since arriving at Anfield, he has been nothing short of a revelation.

Thanks in large part to Salah’s efforts, Liverpool ended their 30-year league title drought and have made 3 Champions League finals during his tenure. Chelsea’s lost was most certainly Liverpool’s gain, with their number 11 easily going down as one of the Reds greatest ever players. His dominance is so much so that even his disappointing time at Chelsea can’t prevent him from being the number one.

2 Fernando Torres

Liverpool 2007-2011, Chelsea 2011-2015

What was said about Salah can also be said for Fernando Torres, just in the opposite order. When the Spaniard arrived in England in 2007 he was nothing short of electric. Pace to burn, intelligent movement and lethal in front of goal. There were very few that could hold a candle to him.

By the time 2011 rolled around, he wasn't the same player. That didn't stop Chelsea forking out £50m for him though. He failed to meet expectations in his four-year stay. However, he did provide us with his legendary last minute goal at the Camp Nou to send Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2012. For that, he remains a cult hero at Stamford Bridge.

3 Nicolas Anelka

Liverpool 2002, Chelsea 2008-2012

The contentious Frenchman's career is full of questionable moments and fall-outs, but don't let that distract you from how good of a footballer he was. Anelka shone brightest for Arsenal as a youngster, but in 2002 found himself on loan for a short spell at Liverpool.

Six years later, after having a renaissance at Bolton Wanderers, the striker found himself at Stamford Bridge. His spell was perhaps most remembered for his infamous penalty miss that cost the Blues the Champions League final in 2008. That black mark overshadows what was a successful four years, where Anelka won multiple accolades and even a Premier League golden boot.

4 Raheem Sterling

Liverpool 2012-2015, Chelsea 2022-Present

There's not much debating the fact that most of Sterling's success came during his seven-year stay at Manchester City. That success is enough to see him leapfrog others in this list, even if it wasn't at the clubs we are focusing on.

The England international moved to Merseyside as a teenager and broke through in 2013 playing alongside the likes of Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard. At that time, Liverpool were not the force they have become in recent years, so the winger sort pastures new and swapped red for sky blue. Now donning a darker shade at Chelsea as the club's highest earner, Sterling has shown glimpses of his quality, even if it hasn't been on anywhere near the same basis.

5 Joe Cole

Chelsea 2003-2010, Liverpool 2010-2013

For those of you unaware of how entertaining Joe Cole was in his prime, Steven Gerrard once claimed that he was a better player than Lionel Messi. And that was before Cole joined the midfielder at Anfield in 2010.

In his youth, the English winger was a dazzling street footballer. He was fearless and could get past anyone with his trickery and lightning speed. As his time in London petered out, it was clear injuries had impacted his game. By the time he ended up making the move further north, Cole was no longer the player that wreaked havoc like he once could.

6 Daniel Sturridge

Chelsea 2009-2013, Liverpool 2013-1019

For many years, it seemed as though Daniel Strurridge was never going to get the break his potential deserved. Having moved to Chelsea as a youngster, he had to go through many loan spells just to return to London and fulfil his role as a rotation option. In January 2013, Brendan Rodgers gave the striker a lifeline, and he did not disappoint.

The former Manchester City youngster burst into life upon his move to Anfield. His partnership with Luis Suarez, appropriately dubbed 'SAS' was the perfect blend of physical prowess and technical class that nearly guided Liverpool to the title in 2014. This would be where Sturridge's career would arguably peak, as injuries meant he struggled to recapture the same form.

7 Glen Johnson

Chelsea 2003-2006, Liverpool 2009-2015

Right-back Glen Johnson came through the ranks at the star-studded West Ham academy before making a move to Stamford Bridge in 2003. There, Johnson was able to pick up a couple of league titles, but eventually began to fall down the pecking order.

He came into his own during his time at Portsmouth, establishing himself as England's first choice right back. This saw him make the move to Anfield, where he spent the majority of his peak years. In this time, the defender was one of the most regular names on the team sheet before parting ways with the club in 2015.

8 Victor Moses

Chelsea 2012-2021, Liverpool 2013-2014

The now 33-year old Moses has perhaps best well known for his remarkable transformation into a wing-back under Antonio Conte. Having been signed from Wigan in 2012, the Nigerian initially floundered at Stamford Bridge as a winger, failing to make an impact. He was sent on loan on multiple occasions before the Italian boss gave him the platform to become one of the club's most impressive performers.

One of the aforementioned loan spells saw the then winger spend a season under Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. It just so happened to be the campaign where Liverpool got agonizingly close to the league title, something Moses would achieve upon his return to London.

9 Raul Meireles

Liverpool 2010-2011, Chelsea 2011-2012

The Portuguese midfielder was an underrated player during his time in the Premier League. His 76 international appearances indicate that he was a tremendous talent, even if his spells at both Liverpool and Chelsea were relatively short.

One interesting fact about Meireles is that he was on the scoresheet during one of the most anticipated fixtures between the two clubs over a decade ago. The game in question was Fernando Torres' Chelsea debut, which just so happened to be against his former club that he had betrayed. It was the midfielder who made the headlines that day, though no one would guess he would be joining his former teammate just a few months later.

10 Yossi Benayoun

Liverpool 2007-2010, Chelsea 2010-2013

Benayoun is arguably the greatest Isreali to have ever played in the Premier League, having done so for the likes of West Ham and Arsenal. It was at The Hammers where he first shone, which led to him making the big switch to Liverpool. There, he found himself in a modest role where he could showcase his talent without propelling the team to any major success.

He joined Chelsea in 2010, but found himself shipped out on loan twice in his three-year spell and was eventually released in 2013. He remained in London with QPR for a brief period before seeing out the rest of his career back in his homeland.

11 Dominic Solanke

Chelsea 2014-2017, Liverpool 2017-2019

At this stage of the list, we begin to reach the point where we are judging players for how they've done away from both clubs, rather than the impact they made during their time there. Case in point, Dominic Solanke.

Having come through Chelsea's academy, the striker played a grand total of 17 minutes for the Blues before leaving on a free to join Jurgen Klopp's revolution. What was meant to be a crucial step in his development was instead more of the same. He scored once in 27 appearances, which amazingly was enough for the Reds to make a healthy profit when Bournemouth came calling in 2019. In 2024, Solanke is having his most productive season in top flight football with 12 goals in 20 league games. It remains to be seen if that is enough to earn himself an international call up.

12 Boudewijn Zenden

Chelsea 2001-2004, Liverpool 2005-2007

Boudewijn Zenden was a young player with huge potential in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Having already secured a big money move to Barcelona, the Dutchman found himself at Chelsea by 2001, just before the start of the Roman Abramovich era.

Fifty-nine appearances later, he moved to Middlesbrough, initially on loan and then permanently the following year. There, he did enough to peak Liverpool's interest and made a return to Europe's elite football. Again, his impact was minimal as he was blighted with injuries. He did, however, manage to score a penalty in the Champions League against former club Chelsea, which led to their elimination in 2007.

13 Fabio Borini

Chelsea 2009-2011, Liverpool 2012-2015

Italian striker Borini has managed to play for the likes of AS Roma, AC Milan and Sunderland throughout his journeyman career. However, his spells at Chelsea and Liverpool are not likely to be fondly remembered by anyone.

Borini moved to Chelsea as a youth player but featured just eight times in the first team. He played just 33 minutes in the Premier League for the Blues and was eventually shipped off without even a notable farewell. He would return to English football with Liverpool, becoming Brendan Rodgers' first signing for the club. However, he was just as unremarkable. A first signing is designed to show a statement of intent. Perhaps that's an indicator as to why Rodgers was unable to make a success at Anfield.