Former Premier League star Tim Sherwood has urged Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to sign a ‘little magician’ like Eden Hazard when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year. The Blues parted ways with Hazard at the end of the previous campaign and they have since relied on Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham among others to find the net.

The west London giants went into the previous international break on a high with six league wins on the bounce but things have gone pear-shaped since their return with just one victory from five top-flight outings. In this period, the Blues have lacked the cutting edge in the final third of the field and Lampard has personally admitted that the club need a Hazard replacement.

Speaking to Premier League productions, Sherwood has advised Lampard to find a little magician, who can make a similar impact to former star Hazard, he told: “I think Lampard is very honest with his appraisal of the game. He doesn’t try to hide behind any stats or anything. He knows his team should be beating the teams they’re losing against.

“They’ve lost four of the last five. It’s easy this job when you’re winning every week. When things start going wrong at a big club, everyone’s looking at the back of your head in that technical area and saying: ‘Do something, what you going to do now? Let’s see it.’ I think they will go into the transfer market now, I think they need to find a little magician like Eden Hazard.”

Pulisic seemed the answered on the left wing between October and early November and the United States international was able to contribute six goals including a hat-trick against Burnley on the road. However, the goals have dried up for the former Dortmund man and that has partly contributed to the Blues’ struggles in the Premier League. The Blues are free to sign new players next month after winning the transfer ban appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.