Team of the Season – Eden Hazard

When the Player Price Lists were revealed last summer, Eden Hazard quickly became the Chelsea midfielder of choice for many Fantasy managers. Coming in at 9.5 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, the Belgian – having delivered nine goals and 16 assists in his debut season at Stamford Bridge – was 1.0 cheaper than team-mate Juan Mata ahead of double Gameweek 1:

The Statistics

Whilst the Spaniard’s minutes diminished in the first few fixtures, Hazard quickly became one of Jose Mourinho’s new band of “Untouchables” and was the only nailed-on attacking midfielder we could rely on. His season got off to a slow start, though – dropping down to 9.1 before he fired his first goal of the new campaign against Norwich in Gameweek 7.

An 18-point return against Cardiff the following week got the bandwagon up and running and was the first of six double figure returns in the subsequent 12 appearances as Hazard’s price soared to 10.3 by New Year’s Day.

The second half of the campaign was somewhat disappointing for the Belgian’s owners. As Mourinho’s men began to serve up the clean sheets, the winger managed a goal or assist in just five of the final 18 Gameweeks, with the highlight a hat-trick and 21-point return against Newcastle in Gameweek 25.

With a calf injury curtailing his game time, Hazard missed three of the final five league games but, despite failing to produce attacking points from Gameweek 32 onwards, still finished the season with 14 goals, 10 assists and 23 bonus points – a total of 202 points was 12 more than his previous year and enough to earn him fourth spot in the overall FPL player standings.

The Prospects

A rise to 10.5 or 11.0 in FPL seems the likeliest scenario after a couple of exceptionally strong campaigns. Certainly, if Mourinho keeps to the same selection process in the final third of the pitch, it’s difficult to see beyond Hazard yet again, though the likes of Mohamed Salah (the only attacking midfielder to start each of the final six league matches) and Andre Schurrle (eight goals in just over 1,300 minutes) will both cost significantly less and may well deliver better value if they can nail down a regular role.

After finishing last season 67 points ahead of any midfield or forward team-mate (Oscar was nearest, with 135 points), Hazard may have competition for our attention next time round. Mourinho has made no secret in prioritising a world-class striker as his number one target in this summer’s transfer market and if, as rumoured, someone of Diego Costa’s calibre signs on at the Bridge, he’s likely to offer a security of starts in the lone forward role. The Atletico Madrid man will be expected to leap ahead of Hazard for spot-kick duties, potentially moving to first-choice regardless of Frank Lampard’s future.

If the Belgian’s price is looked on as too steep, some may even consider a double-up option at the back as an alternative. As mentioned above, Hazard’s sluggish second half of the season raises some cause for concern and it’s perhaps no coincidence this came at a point where an upturn in defensive resilience delivered 14 clean sheets in the final 22 Gameweeks. If a rise to around 11.0 proves too much to stomach, turning to Mourinho’s backline regulars may hold more appeal to those Fantasy managers intent on bagging a couple of premium priced defenders to kick off the campaign with.