Chelsea have to replace the departed Eden Hazard who epitomized their creative play for the seven years he was with the club. This is coming at a time when Chelsea are serving a transfer ban that is likely to complicate things a little bit.
To understand how crucial Hazard was to Chelsea you will have to look at his record during the last Premier League campaign. The Belgian scored 16 league goals and recorded a further 15 assists. He was directly involved in just under half of Chelsea’s Premier League goals.
Today we shall look at the players who could step up to the big stage and ensure that Chelsea remains competitive in the coming season.
Christian Pulisic
Chelsea signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in anticipation of Hazard’s departure to Real Madrid and the American will need to hit the ground running. Pulisic believes that he has the qualities to improve the Chelsea team in Hazard’s absence if his early interviews are anything to go by. He has a lot of speed and creativity that can be relied upon to change a game and if he finds the right assistance he has demonstrated that he can deliver the goods.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Reuben signed a five-year contract extension and he will be looking to make his name a mainstay in the Chelsea line up. The creative midfielder broke into the first team last season forcing the hand of Maurizio Sarri to start him in the final days of last season. This was cut short following an injury before the Europa League final but not without him registering six goals and three assists last season. When he recovers he will be a key member of this squad and hopefully, he can establish himself as a leader in the side.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Chelsea are currently in negotiations with Hudson-Odoi’s camp over his contract renewal and the youngster has made a name for himself during last season. He will be expected to lead the club for the next few years if they manage to wade off interest from Bayern Munich who have been trying to lure him away from the club. Hudson-Odoi demonstrated that he is one of the most promising youngsters and the future promises greater things if he keeps on this trajectory.
Willian
Willian has been with the club for some time now but he has often played second-fiddle to Hazard or Pedro in the past. He is Chelsea’s most experienced left winger and he will be hoping to take over from where Eden left. However, he must wade off competition from a number of youngsters who are looking to dislodge him and make the left-wing their own. What is not in question is that he will have a role to play this season and hopefully he will not be played out of position like in the past.