Coming off one of the most dominant Premier League title season of all-time, it only makes sense that Chelsea isn’t able to rest with pressure from both inside and outside of the organization to maintain that championship standard moving forward. The latest rumors have a potential siege set to be laid on the Blues roster from Spain where new Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez reportedly has his sights set on acquiring Diego Costa and Eden Hazard from the Blues. Benitez would love to add to an already dangerous Madrid attack with the additions of two more world-class players and it’s a scary thought to think of how strong Real Madrid would be offensively if it happened. On that note, let’s take a look at the fantasy implications if this blockbuster goes through.
Diego Costa
What It Will Mean To Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo dominated this season with a ridiculous 48 goals in La Liga competition and while he carried the load up front, the reality is that he probably could have used a little more help. Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale each struggled with injuries this season but the bottom line is that Benzema’s 15 goals were 33 fewer than Ronaldo and yet they were still the second-most on the club. Costa ranked among the Premier League’s leading scorers this past season with 20 and he didn’t miss any time because of injury. He would be an excellent complement to Ronaldo up front.
What It Will Mean To Chelsea
Costa’s 20 goals were six more than Hazard for the Blues team lead this past season and he played an integral role as one of the league’s top finishers up front for Chelsea. We don’t have to look far to realize how much of an impact losing a top striker could have on a top club as all we have to do is look at how Liverpool fared this year without Luis Suarez. There aren’t enough elite strikers available around Europe to easily replace Costa’s production, so if he does go to Real Madrid, it would be a huge hit for the Blues.
Eden Hazard
What It Will Mean To Real Madrid
According to a study conducted by CIES, Hazard’s value is actually higher than Ronaldo, which would mean a pretty high price tag for Real Madrid to pay. That might be too high of a price to pay for a player that would have ranked fourth on the Real Madrid roster in assists a year ago when his nine were as many as amount that Isco and Gareth Bale recorded. However, that number doesn’t account for what he could have done from a production standpoint in Spain. It’s important to remember that Hazard is still just 24 years old and while his assist totals weren’t overwhelming, he did score 14 goals this year. Fantasy players figure that he’ll potentially put up better stat totals playing with Ronaldo, James, Bale, Isco and Benzema next season.
What It Will Mean To Chelsea
The presence of Cesc Fabregas might help offset the loss of Hazard – particularly with Oscar still in the mix and Chelsea banking on the fact that his untapped potential could be maximized in a situation where he gets a bigger share of the playing time. However, Hazard is still one of the best players on the Blues roster and he won’t be easily replaced. The Blues would definitely take a bigger hit if they lose Costa rather than Hazard but both players will be very important if Chelsea wants to build on its Premier League title this season looking to even more championship trophies around Europe. The consensus among the experts is that the Blues will have to add to an already talented roster in order to compete for a Champions League trophy as well as a Premier League title again next season, but if they somehow lose both Costa and Hazard to Real Madrid, they will undoubtedly be taking a step back.
