Chelsea vs Tottenham: Eden Hazard hopeful 'one of the best' Gonzalo Higuain can make difference for Blues

The Argentine striker was paraded before fans at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night and is set to make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday

Eden Hazard hopes that Gonzalo Higuain’s goals can make the difference for Chelsea now that he has completed his move from AC Milan, and that he can finally replace the penalty box ruthlessness of Diego Costa.

The Argentine striker was paraded before fans at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night and is set to make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Chelsea have struggled with their number 9 options ever since Diego Costa fell out with Antonio Conte two years ago, even before he went back to Atletico Madrid. So far this season Alvaro Morata has five league goals and Olivier Giroud just one. Hazard is their top league goalscorer with 10.

But Hazard cannot do it all himself and he is looking forward to partnering with someone who has led the line for Real Madrid, Juventus and Napoli over the years.

And who can give Chelsea that extra edge in the penalty area that they have been missing. He thinks Higuain can be just as good as Costa, the man whose strength and courage helped the team to the Premier League titles in 2014-15 and 2016-17.

“For me as a winger you know I like to play with top players,” Hazard said after Thursday’s Carabao Cup win over Tottenham. “With Chelsea I had the chance to play with one of the best in Diego Costa for three years, and I think Higuain is one of the best. I also like to play with Olivier when he is playing, with Alvaro when he was playing.”

Hazard praised Giroud’s team play but he said that Chelsea have lacked a finisher in the box this year, the job that Higuain can do.

“This season we are playing well, but sometimes we miss the one guy just to score one goal,” he said. “So we had a couple of games, where we played well but we didn’t score. We finished with zero goals, but we created a lot of chances, like today. If you have a striker who can score three goals it finishes 5-1, but at the moment it is not the case. But Higuain can do that. He is a top striker who can score everywhere.”

Giroud does not need to score goals to help the team – look at France in the World Cup last year – and Hazard praised him for his work, although he admitted that the team needs a penalty box presence.

“When Olivier is playing he tries to do his best for the team, but I think he is more like a team player than just a striker who can score goals,” Hazard said. “Diego was sometimes not this kind of player who you can play a 1-2 with, but in the box he was amazing. That is what we need. Higuain is this kind of player, he can link, but he can also be the proper striker."