Chelsea have found a ‘world-class’ superstar capable of surpassing Hazard’s legacy

Enzo Maresca returned silverware to Stamford Bridge last season, twice. Chelsea also finished fourth in the Premier League, opening the door to the Champions League.

It’s been a rocky start to the 2025/26 campaign, but it hardly feels like Chelsea have been hit by a case of second season syndrome, instead finding their footing after a summer of change.

There’s enough to see to keep fans confident in the project. Before the international break, the Londoners beat Liverpool, and it was Estevao Willian who walked off in celebration after that final goal against the champions, with Chelsea making their pressure and optimism count and keeping pace on the fringes of the title lead.

However, if the Maresca era is to reach new heights, the Blues will need a ready-made superstar to lead the way to glory. Someone, perhaps, in the vein of Eden Hazard.

Hazard’s legacy at Chelsea

Hazard is one of the greatest players of all time in the Premier League. He may have retired relatively early, but the Belgian maverick gave his all over seven seasons for Chelsea, and his record-breaking departure for Real Madrid in 2019 led Joe Cole to hail him as “the greatest player the club has ever had”.

The 34-year-old has made 352 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 110 goals and providing 88 assists. No player in the history of the Premier League has made more takeovers in a single campaign than him (180), according to Squawka.

Quite simply, his dribbling and his directness left nothing to be desired; What more could you ask of one of the greatest to achieve this?

The two-time League champion also won two Europa League titles among other domestic honors. He was named Chelsea Player of the Year four times and was crowned Premier League Player of the Season in 2014/15 after guiding his side to the trophy.

In some ways, Estevao may be a new incarnation of the light-footed winger, but Hazard was a talisman who transcended his positional role, and there is another within Maresca’s squad who is shaping up to be the next version.

The new version of Eden Hazard from Chelsea

Even though Estevao has the world at his feet, it’s important not to overburden the 18-year-old. That said, Cole Palmer is already settled into his talismanic place at Stamford Bridge, and he has the quality and experience to take Chelsea to new heights and emulate Hazard.

Palmer, 23, joined the Blues from Manchester City just over two years ago, signing a long-term deal for a fee of £42.5 million.

Frosty from the start, the England international’s first campaign in the capital had become the stuff of legend, quickly heading towards posters hanging on Premier League billboards. In other words, he immediately ranked among the most talented and marketable players in the country.

Given that Palmer is still so young, hailed by Sky Sports’ Nick Wright as ‘Chelsea’s new leader’, the lanky playmaker may not have the same blazing speed as Hazard, but he has the skills and power in the final third to guide Chelsea to more illustrious heights than those already achieved under Maresca’s wing.

Indeed, it is curious to note that Palmer actually outperformed Hazard during his first two tenures with the team, when comparing the superstars’ respective starts to life in London.

This perhaps underlines how impressive the start to life at Chelsea Palmer has been. A year ago, it was not for nothing that Jamie Carragher described the Three Lions star as “the best player in the Premier League”.

Having suffered from injuries during the opening months of the new campaign, Palmer has only played four times in all competitions, scoring two goals. Despite his limited performance so far, Palmer was praised by Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp for his “world-class” performance against Bayern Munich in September.

But he’s a hero to the club, all right, and he could leave a legacy that will eventually rival and perhaps even surpass Hazard’s.