Eden Hazard’s performance against Tottenham a message for incoming Conte

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard scored a goal of the season contender to hand Leicester City the Premier League title.

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard delivered one of his best performances of the season in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, scoring an outstanding equaliser to gift Leicester City the Premier League title, and incoming manager Antonio Conte may now be convinced to keep him this summer.

Finally overcoming his poor form?

The Belgian international has struggled for form this season, and didn’t score his first Premier League goal of the campaign until mid-April, but four goals and three assists in his last seven appearances in all competitions would suggest Hazard is slowly getting back to his best for Chelsea. Last season’s PFA Player of the Year hasn’t come close to hitting the same heights, but his end of season form is a real positive for the incoming manager to mull upon.

Antonio Conte will be Chelsea’s next manager in 2016/17, and the future of Eden Hazard was going to be a real quandary upon his arrival. Numerous sources were linking him to a move away from Stamford Bridge with Real Madrid the alleged frontrunners for his signature, but the Belgian could now commit his future to Chelsea as they usher in a new era. “Of course I am looking forward to working with Antonio Conte. It is good to work with the best managers in the world,” he said on Chelsea’s club website.

Hazard hasn’t been all bad this season

The 25-year-old has still sign the occasional glimpses of brilliance despite the overwhelming disappointment of his fourth season at Chelsea. Eden Hazard has still made 75 successful dribbles and has created 57 chances so he’s had something to build on. His confident showing against Tottenham was exactly what earned him the PFA Player of the Year Award last season, and Conte will be licking his lips at the prospect of such form returning to his game.

Boasting excessive pace, a fantastic first touch, and a real eye for goal in the final third, Hazard was regarded in the top-five best players in the world only 12 months ago, but now has to prove his worth in 2016/17. With the difficulty of replacing such a talent who has scored 40 goals and made 30 assists in his four seasons at Stamford Bridge, Hazard could be key player under Conte.

Since his rise to prominence, 2015/16 has undoubtedly been his worst season to date, but his growing form in recent weeks is a major boost. Hazard will represent Belgium in this summer’s European Championships, and if he can continue such performances, Conte will be full of confidence that the talismanic winger can fire the side to glory in 2016/17. Eden Hazard is still 1/1 to join Real Madrid this summer, but could the Chelsea man be staying at Stamford Bridge for the new regime?