On Monday night, Belgian wing wizard Eden Hazard produced a masterclass, as Chelsea defeated London rivals West Ham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to move up to third in the table. In all honesty, it was the closest thing I have seen in a long time to a one-man show.
His first goal was a thing of beauty, even as a neutral. It was the sort of goal that makes you feel privileged to watch a player at the peak of his powers. His second was a rather more run of the mill effort but well taken nevertheless. The worry for Chelsea is that it seems like a major possibility that their star player could leave this summer.
Sarri states he is powerless to keep Hazard
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a £100million move for the highly-talented forward this summer.
When asked about Hazard after the win over West Ham, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri told Sky Sports “[£100m] is too cheap, in this market it’s too cheap. We have seen in the last market window every price I think. So I think it is really very hard to change Hazard with another player.”
When was asked if he could keep Hazard at the club, he said “I cannot do anything [to keep him] because the club agrees with me, but if Eden wants to make another experience, it is very difficult to keep him, I think’
One of the main difficulties in keeping the star is that come this summer, he will be in the last 12 months of his contract. The Blues would then need to either sell or allow him to leave as a free agent in the summer of 2019. It is a difficult situation for the Blues, especially as they could face a transfer ban in the near future.
Eden Hazard is irreplaceable
There are very few players in world football, who are irreplaceable. However, Eden Hazard is one such player. There are very few players in the world game that have similar attributes to the Belgian star. In fact, I would go as far as to say he is unique.
Maybe his talent goes under the radar at times, as he is playing in a team with not many other truly quality players. If he was playing in a team with truly top players, he may have earned more recognition.
He has at times in recent seasons lacked consistency. That would be a harsh accusation to throw at the Belgian this season though, as he contributed to the most goals of any player in the Premier League this season. Nobody can top his contribution of 27 goals in English top-flight.
After Monday’s game, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher’s claimed that Hazard is ‘too good for Chelsea’ at the moment. That is a harsh but fair assessment of the situation. The Blues are not a top team and most connected with the club will fear losing Hazard to Real Madrid this summer.
Even with £100million to spend and no transfer ban, the Blues would find it impossible to replace Hazard, which is why they will be keen for the forward to remain at Stamford Bridge.
The right time to move to Madrid for Hazard
Sorry to say for Chelsea and the Premier League in general, but it seems like the right time for Eden Hazard to make the move to Real Madrid. Hazard is now odds of 1/5 to be a Real Madrid player after the summer transfer window shuts.
At 28 years of age, Hazard is at his peak. However, if he is going to make a move to a club like Real Madrid, who are one of the biggest clubs in the world game, he has to do it soon.
Los Blancos are badly in need of a talisman and Hazard needs a big stage to ply his trade. It seems a match made in heaven. If the forward moves to the Spanish capital, then he will be a big loss to the Premier League and its fans, as his individual brilliance is sparse in the modern game.
Will Eden Hazard join Real Madrid this summer?
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
