The vultures are flying around Stamford Bridge as Chelsea plan for the next season. Guus Hiddink was expected to help the Blues get some trophy into the cabinet but that has not taken place, though he has had a stabilising effect on a club that seemed destined to finish in the lower half of the table.
The reason for the drop in quality of performances was Jose Mourinho and weeding him out did lead to the rise in the form of Diego Costa but Eden Hazard still has not been able to find the form which helped him win the Player of the season trophy last year.
While Costa did his best Jekyll and Hyde impersonation in the first and second halves of the season, Eden Hazard’s performance has not improved and it is nowhere near the brilliant outings he had for the Blues last season or even prior to that.
Both players though are quality and are relatively young, there are rumours that PSG might be in for Hazard and Costa could be a target for Jose Mourinho, the sales of these players would certainly bring a lot of cash to the club but should they go ahead and sell the duo?
Exit strategy for Costa and Hazard?
Well, both players had horrible first halves to the season but at least Costa has been able to save some part of his reputation with the goals under Guus. Hazard though has not been this lucky and has had to face the ire of many Chelsea fans.
The Belgian seems to have lost his spark while playing in London and a number of fans have also stated that playing under a manager such as Mourinho does have its toll on players. Even Cesc Fabregas has faced a massive dip in form and really has not recovered since the start of the season.
Hazard is 25 at the moment and moving to PSG would certainly be a fresh start for him, although he played for Lille and won the Ligue 1 title with the club, moving to PSG with the star studded team they have, he could be the final link in their search for the Champions League crown.
Costa though should not be the one moving, he is someone that is a requirement in a team that often does not have the emotion to turn things around and we have seen how he can perform under a new manager. Certainly any manager who does want Costa in the team would have to deal with his mannerisms but that comes with the package.
If you get Costa in the right frame of mind, he will get you great performances, if not the goals on a regular basis. Plus, there really isn’t anyone like him in the Premier League. Hazard though is a different beat to look into.
Even under Guus, he does not seem to be the player who was turning defenders inside out with his runs and trickery. It seems that his ability to do the amazing has gone down the dumps. He seems disillusioned and even his father spoke about a possible move away from Stamford Bridge.
Hazard would fetch a pretty decent amount in the transfer market and although he might be the younger player from the duo, he could be collateral in the rebuilding job that Chelsea have on their hands. Antonio Conte could be the one taking up the job next season but Hazard probably won’t figure in his plans.