Andre Villas-Boas is arguably Chelsea's worst manager of the Roman Abramovich era.

Poached from Porto in 2011 as the supposed second coming of Jose Mourinho, the future Tottenham manager was sacked within seven months of his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

However, for all the just criticisms that you can lodge at Villas-Boas across his damned spell in west London, you certainly can't accuse him of messing up in the transfer window.

Villas-Boas at Stamford Bridge

That's because the 12 signings that Villas-Boas managed to pull off during the summer window of 2011 and the winter period in 2012 look nothing short of remarkable almost a decade down the line.

While some of Villas-Boas' acquisitions might not have looked very impressive at the time, some of the players he poached as Chelsea boss went on to become some of the very best in the business.

Now, obviously, it's impossible to tell quite how much of a role Villas-Boas personally played in their arrivals, but there's no escaping the fact that his tenure was littered with buys of the highest level.

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Villas-Boas' Chelsea signings

Intrigued? I thought as much, so be sure check out the one area in which Villas-Boas really excelled at Stamford Bridge down below:

1. Thibaut Courtois

Immediately going out on loan to Atletico Madrid, Courtois won the Premier League twice when he returned to the Blues and is now revered as one of the world's best goalkeepers at Real Madrid.

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2. Oriol Romeu

Procured from Barcelona's youth ranks, Romeu has never really reached the heights expected of him, but the Spaniard is now part of the furniture at Southampton with over 200 outings for the club.

3. Romelu Lukaku

Oh, don't mind this bloke, he's only gone on to become one of the world's best number nines, regularly scoring for Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan since his Stamford Bridge exit.

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4. Juan Mata

An inspired signing by all accounts, Mata won Chelsea's Player of the Year award in both of his full seasons in west London, before an Old Trafford move that has reaped more than 250 appearances.

5. Ulises Dávila

Ok, sure, not everyone that Villas-Boas brought to Chelsea was perfect with the 'Mexican Sensation' never making a senior appearance for the club. He currently resides at Wellington Phoenix FC.

6. Raul Meireles

On the back of winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award at Liverpool, Meireles proved to be a one-season wonder at Chelsea, scoring a wonder goal in the Champions League quarter-finals.

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7. Sam Hutchinson

After an early retirement due to injury problems, the Blues re-signed Hutchinson in December 2011 - making six first-team appearances - and currently plies his trade at Sheffield Wednesday.

8. Kenneth Omeruo

Despite never making a senior appearance for Chelsea, Omeruo didn't actually leave the club until 2019, eventually finding a home at CD Leganés and amassing over 50 caps for Nigeria.

9. Gary Cahill

Ending his Blues career as club captain and a two-time Europa League winner, it's fair to say that Cahill's move to the English giants paid off with almost 300 appearances and a cool 25 goals.

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10. Lucas Piazon

At long, long last, Piazon terminated his never-ending association with Chelsea in January having made just one Premier League appearance and embarking on no less than nine loan spells.

11. Patrick Bamford

It's taken a while for Bamford to shine as brightly as we knew he could since leaving Chelsea, but 14 goals in Leeds United's first season back in the Premier League has more than justified Villas-Boas.

12. Kevin De Bruyne

Oh my goodness me. What a note to finish on. It's staggering to think that Chelsea let De Bruyne slip throw their fingers when he has become the world's best midfielder at Manchester City.

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An incredible set of signings

Ok, sure, there's not too much to write home about when it comes to Dávila, Hutchinson, Omeruo and Piazon but for the most part, Villas-Boas' record in the transfer market is staggering.

Courtois, Lukaku and De Bruyne are widely accepted as some of the best players in their respective positions now, while Mata thrived at the Bridge and Cahill went on to pull on the captain's armband.

Meireles played an underrated role in Chelsea's Champions League win, Romeu has turned out to be a sturdy Premier League player and Bamford is enjoying the form of his life at Elland Road.

So, all in all, for a manager who was sacked before he even got started and with little to no protest from the fans, it's staggering to think that his transfer legacy at Stamford Bridge is almost unrivalled.