How Chelsea could sign their new Hazard this summer

It is fair to say that Chelsea‘s natural wide players did not offer enough consistent quality at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League last season.

Pedro Neto was the top scorer out of all of the wingers in the squad with just five goals in the top-flight, whilst he also topped the charts for assists with six.

The likes of Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho failed to provide goals or assists on a regular basis in the final third after their moves from Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United respectively.

Garnacho ended the 2025/26 campaign with one goal in 24 appearances in the Premier League, whilst Gittens did not find the back of the net in any of his 16 outings in the division.

Long gone are the days that players such as Eden Hazard graced the flanks at Stamford Bridge, winning Premier League titles and competing in the Champions League.

Chelsea are in talks to sign new winger

The former Belgium international scored 110 goals and provided 88 assists in 352 matches for the Blues in all competitions during his career in London, hitting double figures for goals or assists in six different seasons in the league.

They are still looking for their next version of Hazard on the flank, and they are now eyeing up a player who has shades of the Blues legend.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have joined the race to sign West Ham United forward Crysencio Summerville in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Blues have made contact with the Championship team to open talks over a deal for the Netherlands international, following their relegation from the Premier League.

He adds that Xabi Alonso‘s side could use some of their fringe players as makeweights in an attempt to convince the Hammers to part ways with the former Leeds star.

It has been reported elsewhere that West Ham are looking for a fee of £50m to allow the winger to move on from the London Stadium, whilst Manchester United have also made contact about a deal.

How Crysencio Summerville can be Chelsea’s new Eden Hazard

Comparing Summerville to Hazard may not make sense at first, after he scored five goals in 31 Premier League games, but the comparison makes sense when you dive deeper into his underlying data.

Aside from the goals and the assists, two of the things that Hazard was known for during his time in the Premier League were his dribbling and his ability to win fouls off opponents, as they struggled to tackle him fairly.

Despite West Ham’s relegation down to the Championship under Nuno Espirito Santo, Summerville ranked incredibly highly for both dribbles and fouls won in the top-flight last term.

The Dutchman was one of only two players, alongside Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku, who ranked in the top ten players in the Premier League for both successful dribbles and fouls won.

Summerville was once described as a “1v1 monster” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, and that claim is backed up by his impressive dribbling numbers in a team that finished in the bottom three in the division.

If he can put up such impressive numbers like those in a struggling team, imagine how effective and exciting he could be as a right-footed left winger for Alonso at Stamford Bridge next season.

The last time that Summerville played in a club team that was expected to dominate games, he scored 19 goals and created 17 ‘big chances’ in 43 games in the Championship for Leeds in the 2023/24 campaign, putting up Hazard-esque numbers.

He also excelled on the international stage with the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup before their exit to Morocco, scoring two goals and providing two assists in four appearances.

Summerville has shown that he can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis when playing in a team that is suited to his strengths, unlike a West Ham side battling relegation, which is why a move to Chelsea could be the best next step for him.

There is no guarantee that he will start to produce Hazard-like numbers in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, but it seems like a risk worth taking given his impressive form for club and country.