Modern football is a fickle business.
Top clubs can bring in top-level talents, only to struggle to hold on to them in an unforgiving and competitive climate.
Such was the case in West London, where fans were delighted to see world-class talents Falcao and Alexandre Pato arrive at Chelsea last season.
https://twitter.com/RamanLalli_/status/706153930200391680
Both impressed during their short spells with the Premier League club
I see no reason y we cant give isaiah brown a chance,falcao is the worst striker in cfc history idc idc😔
— CFC/ASROMA (@georgelamps) November 22, 2015
https://twitter.com/neal_sousbois/status/709714873312276480
So when it looked like the pair might not be staying at Stamford Bridge after their loan spells, fans were distraught.
Hurry up and ban Pato and Falcao @FIFAcom so we can cancel their contracts
— Keir (@Kingkeir) March 31, 2016
Sure enough, Chelsea announced the departure of both Pato and Falcao, as well as backup goalkeeper Marco Amelia.
Morning all. Today we say farewell to @FALCAO, @AlexandrePato and Marco Amelia… https://t.co/Hd3TZAJOQ5 pic.twitter.com/N3dnVLdpHg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 1, 2016
That’s right, it got even worse. Not Amelia too?! One bit of bad news was bad enough, but this could be too much to take for some fans.
https://twitter.com/GianfrancoVela/status/748777465749708801
Fans have been consoling themselves, wondering how the club will cope without their lethal strikers.
thank fuck for that
— Dan (@DanPizzeyy) July 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/Vibidius/status/748777134731046915
It’s tough to see how Chelsea will cope with the double loss as they prepare for the 2016/17 season. Can big-money arrival Michy Batshuayi even come close to bridging the gap? We wish them luck.
Pato had a relaxed approach to training that resulted in him starting only 1 game in which he was substituted after 64 minutes. [Telegraph]
— Chels HQ (@Chels_HQ) May 26, 2016
papy djilobodi had the same number of league goals as pato and falcao last season
— Michy Saw The Light (@MichyyBichyy) June 8, 2016