Report: Much-Beloved Chelsea Player Has Cost A Club-High £10M From Missing Premier League Clashes

Continuing our injury/salary study series, following examinations of footballing leviathans Manchester United and Liverpool, BettingOdds.com casts their beady eye on the extremely in-form Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel’s Blues are flying, with the Champions League holders looking a good bet to retain Old Big Ears and go the distance in the Premier League title race.
However, there are a few injury concerns for Chelsea, with Ben Chilwell limping off after suffering a knee injury in the 4-0 walloping of Juventus at Stamford Bridge in their penultimate UCL group stage game, to join Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kanté in the physio room heading towards the end of November.
Based on the players’ salaries per week and Premier League matches in which they have not participated, BettingOdds.com has calculated how much Chelsea have paid their players through absences and injuries since the 2015/16 season.
Somewhat surprisingly, though he collects plaudits the way other people collect stamps, the list through total games missed during their time at the club is topped by none other than their diminutive defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté. The Frenchman, with seemingly more limbs than Squiddly Diddly, has missed a total of 37 possible Premier League games since his move to the capital in 2016 and based on his estimated weekly salary, this accumulated absence has cost Chelsea a significant sum of £9,540,000. Take a look who joins Kanté on the list below.
The results have been compiled into the following categories:
- TOTAL Losses Through Premier League Games Missed
- TOTAL Losses Through Premier League Games Missed Through Injury/Fitness
- Percentage of Missed Games through Injury (More than 10 missed Premier League matches)
NOTE:
- The results were compiled from data provided by the EPL and Transfermarkt, with additional info from Spotrac and SalarySport;
- The results focus on the Premier League only;
- Goalkeepers have also been included in the study;
- Players’ salaries have been considered per season, per player, since 2015/16.

TOTAL Losses Through Premier League Games Missed
(2015/16 - )
player | total premier league games missed | total chelsea losses |
---|---|---|
1. N'Golo Kanté | 37 | £9,540,000 |
2. Kepa Arrizabalaga | 49 | £7,595,000 |
3. Danny Drinkwater | 61 | £7,320,000 |
4. Marcos Alonso | 67 | £6,610,000 |
5. John Terry | 43 | £6,450,000 |
6. Gary Cahill | 63 | £6,300,000 |
7. Andreas Christensen | 83 | £6,145,000 |
8. Olivier Giroud | 53 | £5,890,000 |
9. Antonio Rüdiger | 54 | £5,400,000 |
10. Willy Caballero | 141 | £5,290,000 |
TOTAL Losses Through Premier League Games Missed Through Injury/Fitness
(2015/16 - )
player | total premier league games missed through injury/fitness | total CHELSEA losses |
---|---|---|
1. N'Golo Kanté | 26 | £6,860,000 |
2. Christian Pulisic | 24 | £3,600,000 |
3. Danny Drinkwater | 29 | £3,480,000 |
4. Eden Hazard | 12 | £2,700,000 |
5. David Luiz | 21 | £2,520,000 |
6. Ross Barkley | 33 | £2,111,540 |
7. Gary Cahill | 20 | £2,000,000 |
8. Callum Hudson-Odoi | 17 | £1,770,000 |
9. Antonio Rüdiger | 17 | £1,700,000 |
10. Cesc Fàbregas | 10 | £1,560,000 |
Percentage of Missed Games through Injury (More than 10 missed Premier League matches)
PLAYER | TOTAL GAMES MISSED | TOTAL INJURY GAMES | %THROUGH INJURY |
---|---|---|---|
1. Eden Hazard | 14 | 12 | 85.71% |
2. Christian Pulisic | 33 | 24 | 72.73% |
3. N'Golo Kanté | 37 | 26 | 70.72% |
4. David Luiz | 31 | 21 | 67.74% |
5. Thibaut Courtois | 20 | 13 | 65.00% |
6. Álvaro Morata | 14 | 9 | 64.29% |
7. Reece James | 23 | 12 | 52.17% |
8. Danny Drinkwater | 61 | 29 | 47.54% |
9. Ross Barkley | 72 | 33 | 45.83% |
10. Victor Moses | 14 | 6 | 42.86% |