Whenever a star such as Eden Hazard is touted to leave Chelsea, fans have a top superstar to come in. But that cannot coexist with bringing youth through.
If Eden Hazard decides to leave Chelsea next summer, pretty much everyone has someone in mind as to who should be his replacement. Whether it is Leon Bailey who has just signed a new contract or Ousmane Dembele, there is a clear contingency plan for many. It can often be summed up as a young and extremely promising winger much in the same mold as Hazard himself when he joined Chelsea.
But fans also demand for youth to break into the first team. Callum Hudson-Odoi rightfully earned plaudits and attention for his preseason performance. Now there are near riots when he is left on the bench.
But those two ideas cannot be compatible with one another. Chelsea cannot expect a young world class winger to come in and not completely block off the path of a young player such as Hudson-Odoi. The Englishman’s time, if he is ever going to get it, needs to be when Hazard leaves. Not when the guy after Hazard leaves.
This has been an issue at Chelsea for a while. The Blues have the best youth academy in England and perhaps all of Europe. But they also must win their first team matches. World class players are needed, but their addition blocks off the academy. It is a vicious cycle that can only be broken by not buying a world class talent and throwing the youth in the deep end.
Chelsea failed at this when they signed Diego Costa. Lukaku was coming off an excellent series of Premier League loans, but instead of being trusted to lead the line, Costa was brought in. Lukaku, smelling the blood in the water, decided his time at Chelsea was up. Fast forward three years and Chelsea desperately wanted him back to replace Costa himself. But the bridge was burned and he went to Manchester United.
That same situation could play out again and again. It could easily happen with Hazard, his world class replacement, and Hudson-Odoi. At some point, the kids just need to be trusted enough to do their thing.
It is also happening to Ruben Loftus-Cheek right now. After a good Premier League loan last year, he is now behind Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley in the pecking order. Both of those players were signed this calendar year and both are now blocking Loftus-Cheek’s path to the first team. It would not be unusual at all to see Loftus-Cheek leave and then Chelsea go back in for him in a few years.
Youth and world class signings simply cannot coexist. This is something Chelsea has messed up on time and time again over the recent years. If fans and the club itself truly rate Hudson-Odoi, they should avoid the temptation of the readymade player to replace Hazard. Because if they do not, the winger will go elsewhere and it is simply inevitable that the Blues will regret another one getting away.