Gustavo POYET

Despite being a member of the Real Zaragoza side which won the 1995 European Cup Winners Cup, beating Chelsea and Arsenal in the process, Gustavo Poyet was a relative unknown to most Chelsea followers when he signed on a 'Bosman' free transfer in the summer of 1997. A tall, dynamic midfielder with an unerring eye for goal, he was an instant hit with the Stamford Bridge supporters as he found the net on four occasions, including a trademark bullet header to beat Newcastle, prior to suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in early October. Sidelined for six months, Gus returned to the starting line-up for the Cup Winners Cup semi-final second leg against Vicenza and scored a crucial goal just minutes after the Italians had taken a 2-0 aggregate lead, Chelsea eventually winning 3-2 on aggregate.

He played in the final as Stuttgart were beaten 1-0 and the effervescent Uruguayan led the after-match celebrations with the supporters. He began his second season in sensational style by scoring the only goal of the game as Chelsea beat Real Madrid to win the European Super Cup, and also scored The Blues' first league goal of the campaign with a superb header in a 2-1 defeat at Coventry. That was the only league defeat The Blues suffered before Christmas and when Poyet scored his eleventh goal of the season to clinch a 2-0 win at The Dell on Boxing Day, it left Chelsea sitting proudly at the top of the Premiership table. Soon after scoring though he was the victim of a spiteful challenge from behind by Southampton's Patrick Colleter and it led to another three months on the sidelines. With Laudrup departed and Poyet, Casiraghi and Flo all injured, Chelsea's goals dried up and the title challenge faltered. Gus returned in time for the last month of the season and typically scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory at Wimbledon on his comeback before sealing Chelsea's place in the following season's Champions League when he headed the only goal of the game against Leeds. (Kelvin Barker)

Finally unencumbered by injury, Gus Poyet was a major influence on Chelsea's 1999/2000 season. Against Sunderland on the opening day he again headed the first goal of the campaign before completing the scoring when he spectacularly scissor-kicked Chelsea into a 4-0 lead. He added another brace against Manchester United, his first goal coming after just 20 seconds, as the champions were humbled 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. Poyet was an important figure in the run to the Champions League quarter-finals and took the captain's armband for the visit of Lazio in a match which was lost 2-1 after Gus had rifled The Blues into a half-time lead with a spectacular shot. He was also something of a talisman in the FA Cup as Chelsea won the trophy for the second time in three years. Poyet scored his first hat-trick in English football in a 6-1 drubbing of Hull City in the third round and also opened the scoring in a 2-1 fifth round victory over Leicester.

Always the man for the big occasion, it was Gus who scored the goals which sealed Chelsea's place in the final when he found the net twice as Newcastle were beaten 2-1 at Wembley. He eventually scored a hugely impressive 18 goals that season. The arrival of Claudio Ranieri, with instructions to lower the average age of the squad, brought Poyet's Chelsea career to an end a year later. He figured throughout the 2000/01 campaign and was even given a role as the new manager's translator (he was the obvious choice as he had a reputation for talking constantly and was even nicknamed 'The Radio') but as the season wore on he began to find himself increasingly used as a substitute. He still managed to chip in with 12 goals, including two in a 4-1 victory over Ipswich and a brace of injury-time strikes at Pride Park as Derby were beaten 4-0. However, as the season drew to a close it was obvious that Gus Poyet was unhappy with his role at the club and in June 2001 he joined Tottenham Hotspur for £1.5 million. (Kelvin Barker)