Chelsea what ifs: Neymar instead of Eden Hazard in 2012

Chelsea bought Eden Hazard in 2012 on the heels of the Champions League win. But what if the Blues had turned their attention towards Neymar instead?

Eden Hazard signed for Chelsea with a single tweet. Well there was some paper work involved too but the tweet is what really confirmed it. Suddenly one of Europe’s hottest prospects was a Chelsea player.

But there was another hot prospect gathering plenty of attention: Neymar. The then 20 year old was attracting attention worldwide from nearly every major European club. Barcelona won out in 2013, but it seemed to be anyone’s race in the buildup.

So, what if Chelsea had gone after Neymar instead of Hazard? Would Roberto di Matteo’s first full campaign have looked differently? How would Neymar have changed Chelsea?

Neymar’s arrival at Stamford Bridge is met with much fanfare despite the hefty price tag. He immediately adds himself to a growing Brazilian contingent that includes David Luiz, Ramires, and Neymar’s friend Oscar.

Neymar’s first Chelsea season is somewhat stop start. His talent is clearly there, but he comes off as “too light” for English football. He draws a lot of fouls, but there is a growing concern that many of them are dives. Meanwhile, Eden Hazard has gone to Manchester United and also draws a lot of fouls, but seemingly tries to stay on his feet if possible.

Neymar’s inclusion is not enough to save Roberto Di Matteo. Rafa Benitez still comes in and helps the squad finish in third, but not as comfortably as he did in reality. When Jose Mourinho arrives, he immediately singles out Neymar to improve on both sides of the ball.

But unlike what he did with Hazard in real life, Mourinho struggles to convince Neymar to come back. On offense he is brilliant but defensively he does not have the drive Mourinho requires. Still, he is becoming too good at the former to drop for the latter so Mourinho adjusts around the Brazilian, though unhappily.

Things come to a head in 2014/2015 as Chelsea fails to win the title as Mourinho increasingly calls for more out of Neymar. He drops the player for the second half of the season more often than not in favor of Willian or others. Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United steal the title in the closing stages thanks to Hazard as Neymar pushes hard for a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

That summer, Neymar gets his wish with a huge transfer to Barcelona. Chelsea uses the funds to go after John Stones and Paul Pogba, which stops the rot in the 2015/2016 season that happened in reality. Unfortunately, Chelsea never got much out of Neymar and failed to push on in the three years he spent at the club like the Blues did with Hazard.

Neymar goes on to play fine at Barcelona, but he continues to struggle to live up to his earlier hype.

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