Eden Hazard has been a topic of much debate this season. After all, the Belgian was the best player in the Premier League last season. Players who have won this accolade has gone on to become better or moved to the Spanish giants – Barcelona or Real Madrid. Both have not taken place in the case of Hazard.
The Belgian has regressed a lot of compared to his Chelsea days. Fans will not remember seeing the 24-year-old perform so poorly in the manner he has done since coming to the club in the summer of 2012. Hazard has been a story of continuous rise. Now, though, it is entirely different with Hazard still searching for his first league goal of the season despite being involved in close to 1150 minutes of action. All his goals so far this season have been for the Belgian national team.
It is not surprising that his dip in form has also been reflected in Chelsea’s form. Hazard has been a very crucial player for Chelsea in the last three seasons. Whether it be creating chances or finishing them, the 24-year-old has always been a breath of fresh air. His troubles on the pitch have naturally led to transfer rumours or about a fallout with Jose Mourinho.
The pair have had differences in the past, but Hazard is seen as one of the untouchables by the Portuguese manager. It is a fact reflected by the player being involved in all 38 league matches last season at an average of 88.9 minutes per game. Even now, Hazard averages more than 80 minutes per game.
Transfer rumours have unsurprisingly linking him with Real Madrid, a club with a never-ending hunger to sign attacking players with an ability to create headlines. Despite boasting an attack that has Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema to name a select few, Madrid appears willing to go after Hazard. The only possibility for Hazard to thrive at the Santiago Bernabeu is if Ronaldo leaves; this has been looking like an option in the last few weeks.
Losing a player like Hazard will be a major blow to Chelsea as a team and as a club. English teams may not be star crazy like Barcelona and Madrid, but they have at least one talismanic player in the ranks. Hazard is that player for Chelsea. The Blues’ have been without a talisman since the decline of players like Lampard and Drogba a few years ago.
Thorgan Hazard claims that his brother continues to be happy at Chelsea. He said:
“Until now, he never said he was unhappy, so I think he’s happy. He’s part of one of the best clubs in the world; he won many titles last year, this year it’s a bit more difficult, but it’s football; every player, every club, goes through hard times.
“I think he’s happy, but you need to ask him, I can’t answer for him.
“I think he already proved last year that [Mourinho] worked really well with Eden and Eden worked really well with Mourinho.”
Chelsea is the team of the season