Chelsea must fight to keep Eden Hazard in West London
With rumours again surfacing linking Eden Hazard with a Real Madrid switch, Chelsea must do everything in their power to keep him in blue.
After a shocking 2015/16 campaign, Eden Hazard is back to his best in a Chelsea shirt. The Belgian has been in fine form for the Blues as they have dominated the Premier League. Consequently, he is again being linked with a move to Real Madrid.
The Telegraph claims that due to this, Chelsea are ready to chuck money and a new contract at Hazard.
"Chelsea will resist any bids for Eden Hazard, who they are confident is not looking to join Real Madrid, and are prepared to reward his superb form with a new contract…Chelsea are prepared to offer him new terms that would guarantee he remains the club’s highest earner."
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Having previously argued that the Blues should not hand Antonio Conte a new deal, they must certainly reward Hazard.
The Belgian is far and away the club’s most gifted player. He has the ability to take on the opposition and make something out of nothing. Any team that wants to conquer the world needs such a talent.
Real Madrid may throw a lot of cash at the Blues, but they should resist any temptation. Hazard is the only player that is not expendable.
Hence, if a new contract and even more money is needed to keep him at Stamford Bridge, then so be it. There are very few players in the world who can command such excess and Hazard is one of them.
Selling Hazard will leave the Blues deficient in sustainable creativity. Moreover, they will only have a summer to recruit a replacement. With a hectic schedule dawning next season, the lack of a star man could lead to a car-crash of a campaign.
Hazard is a unique talent who Chelsea managed to secure at an early stage. Letting him go, or giving him any reason to leave, as he reaches his peak would be one of the most reckless footballing decisions in recent memory.
With the Premier League title all but secured, attention is rightly switching to next season. Chelsea have shown their quality when playing one game per week, but will they be able to replicate their form when playing three times in seven days? Having someone like Hazard to create a moment of magic on a long and dull European away day will help the cause.