Eden Hazard joined Chelsea in 2012 after the Blues lifted their first Champions League title. The Belgian signed from Lille for a fee of around £32m, one that would later look like an absolute bargain with what he was about to achieve at the club.
The superstar winger went on to make 352 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 110 goals, providing 85 assists, and totalling 26,967 minutes played for the club. In this time, Hazard won two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles, one FA Cup, and one League Cup, among a plethora of individual awards such as Footballer of the Year.
Hazard was known for his elegance on the ball, skipping past his men, making something happen out of nowhere, and providing those magical moments in a game that got everyone out of their seats, and this is something Chelsea have been lacking since losing their prized possession.
Since the Belgian departed Chelsea back in 2018, joining Real Madrid for a fee of around £88.5m plus add-ons, the Blues have been trying to replace their star man, with countless attacking signings, and they just might have done that now, with a signing they made on deadline day in 2023.
Cole Palmer's record at Chelsea
Chelsea signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City for around £40m plus £2.5m add-ons, signing a seven-year deal with the Blues, with an option for a further year.
Ahead of joining, Palmer had made a combined 58 appearances for City’s academy, scoring 42 goals and providing 19 assists. He had also made 41 appearances for City’s first team, totalling 1,483 minutes, scoring six goals and providing two assists.
Since joining Chelsea, the 22-year-old has been in astonishing form, making 54 appearances, scoring 31 goals and providing 20 assists. He has also earned himself nine England caps now, scoring two goals, with one of those being in the Euro 2024 Final, coming from the bench to equalise against Spain before losing the game 2-1.
Palmer’s impressive first campaign for Chelsea earned him multiple individual awards, including England Player of the Year, becoming the first Chelsea player to win the award since Ashley Cole in 2010 after scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists in 45 appearances.
Goals
0.65
0.71
Assists
0.36
0.60
xG
0.63
0.67
xAG
0.38
0.58
Progressive Carries
4.02
3.64
Progressive Passes
6.77
7.12
Shots Total
3.50
3.21
Goals/Shot
0.12
0.19
Key Passes
2.47
3.48
Shot-Creating Actions
5.57
5.91
Successful Take-Ons
1.79
1.06
It seemed like it would be impossible for the Englishman to keep going at the rate he was, but he has taken it even further, as you can see from his metrics so far this season compared to last.
His output per 90 minutes has risen, his progressive carries are slightly down, but his progressive passes are slightly up, and he is producing more for his teammates, with 3.48 key passes and 5.91 shot-creating actions per 90.
Playing in a central zone now, more often as the number ten, Palmer is able to drift, link play, and help with build-up. Allowing his full skillset to shine, whilst not hampering the elite output he was giving the side last season under manager Mauricio Pochetinno.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
The 22-year-old has finally filled the boots Hazard left back in 2018, but with their impressive youth-led transfer strategy, they could even have another Hazard replacement, with this “elite talent” as called by scout Jacek Kulig. He could even be more exciting than Palmer…
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Chelsea's next Hazard
Chelsea managed to sign Estevao Willian from Palmeiras for an initial fee of around £29m, fighting off the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and PSG who were all in the fight to sign the Brazilian superstar. The young winger has made 38 appearances for the Brazilian outfit’s senior team, scoring 11 goals, and providing eight assists. Considering he’s still only 17 years of age, he looks like a real future star.
The left-footed right-winger has already made a name for himself, debuting for the Brazil senior national team in September, becoming the second-youngest player in history to debut for Brazil since 2000, behind only Real Madrid superstar Endrick.
Chelsea may have done it again here, and the Brazilian can easily co-exist with Palmer, as Estevao plays on the right, whereas Palmer has now found himself in a more comfortable number ten position under Enzo Maresca.
Neymar has even named Estevao a “genius” after comparisons to him for his spell-binding Hazard-like dribbling ability.
Chelsea now have the prospect of lining up with Palmer alongside Estevao in the future, and forming one of the most devastating duos in world football to help guide the Blues back to the pinnacle of the game, winning the most prestigious awards possible.
Goals
0.49
0.71
Assists
0.34
0.60
xG
0.35
0.67
xAG
0.29
0.58
Progressive Carries
4.93
3.64
Progressive Passes
3.45
7.12
Shots Total
3.50
3.21
Key Passes
1.63
3.48
Shot-Creating Actions
5.37
5.91
Successful Take-Ons
3.20
1.06
Estevao is five years younger than Palmer, and is already close in many metrics, even bettering him in some. Of course, this has external factors such as the quality of opposition, but the fact the 17-year-old Brazilian can achieve these metrics at such a young age is impressive in itself.
With an ability to beat players at his own will – much like Hazard – completing 3.20 successful take-ons per 90, completing 4.93 progressive carries per 90, and then delivering the desired quality at the end of these actions with 1.63 key passes and 5.37 shot-creating actions per 90, these two superstar talents are sure to get the best out of one another at Chelsea.
All of that is without even mentioning Kendry Paez, who was signed from Independiente del Valle in 2023, for around £17.27m, but we will leave that for another day.
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