Many an eyebrow was raised last summer when, towards the end of the window Chelsea splurged he amounts on the services of David Luiz.
Offloading the error strewn Brazilian, who lacked an obvious position, looked like the deal of the century.
So to bring him back to the Bridge two years later looked very much like a panic buy as Chelsea fumbled around for a top centre back.
Lui has gone on to be one of the top performers in the league in that perfect position in front of the back two and he looks like money well spent.
Sp perhaps we should not be surprised by reports which emerged over the weekend that suggest Chelsea are keen on Real Madrid veteran Pepe.
Real Madrid aficionados Marca reported:
Chinese offers are most lucrative at this point, but Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have also asked for his services.
The report also stresses that Real Madrid are keen to keep him and the player is quoted in another report as saying that he will wait until the last minute to be offered a deal by Los Blancos.
But he would be yet another interesting Premier League addition and it would be good to see how his abrasive style of play would be suited to England.
The obvious concern would be his lack of pace. Chelsea wouldn’t be able to play a particularly high line with Pepe as he could get caught out for pace in a notoriously quick league.
But Pepe has so much experience – he has won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid in a glittering career – that you’d have to bet on him being a decent addition to most squads, even if he was used sparingly.
But the sort of wages we expect him to command mean that most teams would be starting him every week.
Chelsea fans: a good option or too old for the Premier League?