Eden Hazard believes Gonzalo Higuain will fill the huge void left by Diego Costa at Chelsea and will ensure they are a major force for the rest of the season.
Hazard, who starred for Chelsea in their EFL Cup semi-final win over Tottenham last night, can’t wait to play with the Argentina international striker.
The 31-year-old has joined on loan from Juventus for the rest of the season at the very least and is expected to make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday.
Costa helped Chelsea win two League titles, as well as the EFL Cup, before signing for Atletico Madrid last year. The Blues have had Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud lead the line since then, but they have managed only 34 goals in all competitions between them.
Higuain has found the net over 300 times for club and country and Hazard feels he will help the Blues compete even better in all four competitions they’re involved in.
He said: “I like to play with top, top players. At Chelsea I was able to play with one of the best in Costa for three years. I think Higuain is one of the best at the moment.
“Diego was sometimes not the kind of player to play a one-two with, but in the box he was amazing. He just scores one goal, we won and you have the three points. That’s what we need.
“I think Higuaín is this kind of player, he can also link with the winger with the midfield, and he can also be the proper striker. Can he make a big impact for the rest of the season? Yes, I hope so.”
Coach Maurizio Sarri moved Hazard back to his favoured position on the left hand side of the attack against Tottenham, with Giroud leading the line.
“He has scored a lot of goals. When you see his career he has done it everywhere, Real Madrid, Napoli and Juventus. I think he can do the same here.
“This season we have been playing good but we missed the guy to score just one goal. We have had a few games where we have played well and in the end we finished with zero goals, even though we created chances.
“It was like that against Spurs. If we had a striker that could score three goals, the game would have finished 5-1. But that hasn’t been the case. Higuain can do that. He is a top scorer, he can score anywhere.
“Have we missed a striker like Costa since he left? Yes of course. I like playing with Giroud and Morata, but when Olivier is playing he is doing his best for the side, he is more of a team player than a striker that just scores goals.
“Diego was sometimes not the kind of player to play a one-two with, but in the box he was amazing. He just scores one goal, we won and you have the three points. That’s what we need.