In Jose Mourinho’s final season in charge at Chelsea, things could not have gone worse for the boss as he looked to defend his third Premier League title.
In late December, the Blues had won just four league games, and sat a point above the relegation zone in 16th place, when Roman Abramovich made the tough decision to fire Mourinho for the second time.
This was despite the club legend status the Portuguese manager held at the time, with him playing a crucial role in the fact Chelsea were even a competing force at all.
It was recently shared how he pinched a signing from under Manchester United’s noses, after Mourinho’s secret meeting with John Obi Mikel saw him head to Stamford Bridge instead of Old Trafford.
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
Jose Mourinho signing Michael Hector now joins National League side
However, the position the Blues found themselves in was undefendable, and some of the signings made by the club around this time certainly raised eyebrows.
One of those additions was Michael Hector, signed for a fee of around £4m from Reading, before being loaned straight back to the Championship side at the time.
The boss looked to bring defensive reinforcements in after a rough start to the season, with Papy Djilibodji also joining the club in the same transfer window.
The highlight addition of that season was Pedro, who is still going strong in 2025 after an illustrious spell at Chelsea. Pedro scored a late winner against AC Milan and a side which included current loanee Joao Felix.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
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Hector never actually featured for Chelsea in the first team, and while he is still playing football now his latest side perhaps shows just how far he has fallen.
The Jamaican international has just moved to Dagenham and Redbridge until the end of the season, a side currently competing in the National League.
Welcome to the Daggers, Michael Hector! 🙌
The experienced defender joins the club on a deal until the end of the season 💪
— Dagenham & Redbridge ⚔️ (@Dag_RedFC) March 8, 2025
View Tweet
The London-based side are currently 19th in the table, sitting dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Michael Hector’s interesting career since joining Chelsea
Despite never making an appearance for the Blues, Hector would not permanently depart the Blues until 2020, when he moved to local rivals Fulham.
During this tenure, he spent time on loan at Reading, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday, each season not being close to being in the plans in West London.
He has actually been without a club since the end of last season, when his time at Charlton ended at the expiration of his contract.
Hector will go down as one of the more forgettable signings made by Chelsea in the 21st century, and perhaps a sign of how things were going to go for Moruinho in his final season at Stamford Bridge.