Leicester City have done lots of business with Chelsea over the years, though it’s normally the West London side taking their players.
Chelsea signed N’Golo Kante in 2016 after Leicester City won the Premier League title. The midfield machine played a vital role in clinching their destiny and left supporters saddened when he left.
Kante then became an incredible success story at Stamford Bridge, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League before making a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League.
However, some other transfers involving the two clubs have failed. Chelsea signed Danny Drinkwater for £35 million in 2017, and he became one of their biggest-ever flops.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, meanwhile, is also struggling at Chelsea after making a £30 million move from the King Power Stadium last summer.
But for all of the above transfers, arguably the most controversial ended up being Dennis Wise’s move to Leicester in 2001.
Photo by Hugh Hastings/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Hugh Hastings/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Dennis Wise was sacked by Leicester City in 2002
Wise became a Chelsea legend after spending 11 years at Stamford Bridge and winning five trophies, including two FA Cups.
But following his £1 million switch to Leicester in 2001, the former England international quickly became one of their worst-ever signings.
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Wise made just 19 appearances for the club before his contract was terminated in August 2002 following a serious incident with a teammate.
He was guilty of assaulting Callum Davidson in a hotel room during Leicester City’s pre-season tour in Finland in the summer of 2002.
The incident happened when Davidson requested his teammates to stop playing cards and leave his hotel room so he could get some sleep. Horrifically, Wise’s response was to return to the room and attack Davidson while he slept, leaving him with a broken nose and broken cheekbone in two places.
Wise, unsurprisingly, saw his contract get ripped up after the incident, costing him £3 million in lost wages, and is now Leicester fans’ most hated player of all time.
Wise said his sacking was a ‘disgrace’
Instead of accepting his dismissal and owning up to the horrific attack, Wise branded his sacking as a ‘disgrace’, per Sky Sports.
“My sacking was a disgrace,” Wise said. “Did you see West Ham players vote to sack John Hartson when he kicked team-mate Eyal Berkovic in the face and it was shown on national TV? No.”
“Was Paul Davis sacked from Arsenal when he busted Southampton player Glenn Cockerill’s chin during a game, again shown on TV? No.
“Very high-profile players like former Arsenal captain Tony Adams and Everton’s Duncan Ferguson were even jailed. But their clubs welcomed them back with open arms.
“There should not be rules for some players and then different rules for others. It has left me believing there should be some middle ground.
“I never intended to break Callum’s jaw. No-one can predict what damage a punch will do and, let’s be honest here, fights occur week in, week out at football clubs.
“I lost in excess of £2.3million, that amount for a punch, and seem to have taken all the blame, along with former manager Peter Taylor, for the position Leicester find themselves in.”
Wise should never have hit his teammate in the first place, and instead of comparing the incident to others, he should have just apologised and owned it.