Christian Pulisic: The Perfect Replacement for Eden Hazard

​With Eden Hazard leaving Chelsea this summer, it marks the start of a new era at Stamford Bridge. After seven fruitful years with the Blues, the Belgian’s exit means that it is now time for a new star to shine at Stamford Bridge.

Despite Chelsea’s transfer ban, the club actually signed a replacement for Hazard way back in January. They signed Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic for £58m, and after being loaned back to BVB for the remainder of the season as part of the deal, Pulisic’s Chelsea career is now about to begin. 

Moving on from ​Hazard was always going to be a challenge, as Chelsea prepare to deal without one of their most talented players the club has ever had. A like-for-like replacement for the Belgian was never going to be realistically signed, with players like ​Kylian Mbappé and ​Cristiano Ronaldo out of reach for the Blues.

Yet with Pulisic about to start his new life in London, it is clear that the American is the right man for ​Chelsea.

In his four years in the ​Bundesliga, Pulisic gained a huge amount of big game experience while playing in one of Europe’s toughest leagues. Although he wasn't a starter last season, he did still contribute a lot when given a chance, particularly at the tail-end of the season, scoring against both Fortuna Dusseldorf and Werder Bremen.

 Additionally, Pulisic is coming off the back of a promising run in the Gold Cup with the USA, scoring two goals in the semi final against Jamaica, before being narrowly beaten in the final by Mexico. 

It's hard to believe that, with all of this experience under his belt, Pulisic is just 20 years old.  With at least a few more years before he enters his footballing peak and with a possible decade ahead of him at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have seemingly done something that they have failed to do in a long time: make a long-term investment.