I got a four-month ban from football when all I wanted to do was play for Chelsea

Gael Kakuta struggled to recover from a troubled start to his Chelsea career (Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Forgotten ex- Chelsea player Gael Kakuta faced a four-month football ban after the Blues were accused of enticing the player to breach his contract with Lens.

The Frenchman made the move to the Blues' youth team in 2007, following an eight-year stint with the Ligue 1 club. The signing of the then-15-year-old created quite a stir, given his reputation back home, but the excitement quickly turned into controversy.

FIFA ruled that Chelsea had led Kakuta to break his contract with Lens in order to secure his signature. The global governing body handed out penalties to both the club and the player, imposing a transfer embargo on the Blues that would prevent them from registering new players for the next two transfer windows.

As for Kakuta, he was hit with a four-month ban and ordered to pay a fine of £670,000. However, Chelsea successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to suspend their and Kakuta's punishment until their full appeal against FIFA had been heard.

Ultimately, CAS lifted the sanctions and Kakuta made his professional debut in the 2009/10 season. Chelsea went on to clinch the Premier League and FA Cup double under Carlo Ancelotti's guidance.

Despite the initial excitement surrounding his arrival, the winger managed just 16 outings for Chelsea while failing to find the net. He has since reflected with regret on his stint at Stamford Bridge, telling Sport Bible in 2024: "Everyone was curious because Chelsea were banned because of me.

Kakuta during one of his few appearances for the Blues (Image: Shaun Botterill, Getty Images)

"Everyone in the crowd was like, 'Oh, it's him. It's him.' I was thinking, 'Yeah, it's me. Let me prove myself and show what I'm made of.'"

His maiden loan move as a Chelsea player saw him join west London neighbours Fulham, whom the Blues welcome on Saturday and where he netted his first professional goal.

Following his permanent departure from Chelsea in 2015, Kakuta, now 34, had a nomadic career, having spells across Spain, China, France, Iran and currently Turkey, where he plays for Sakaryaspor.

Kakuta returned to Lens later in his career before moving to Turkey (Image: Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)

He insisted that without the drama which overshadowed his move to England, he would have enjoyed an extended and successful career at Chelsea. He said: "I think I'd still be at Chelsea today if things turned out like they were supposed to.

"In fact, I'd have finished my career there. We weren't playing reserve team football at the time. The first team were playing every three days.

"But we were barely involved. Those playing at youth level kept their confidence and rhythm. It was difficult."