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Chelsea can squash the drama by giving Eden Hazard a record-setting contract

By Barrett Rouen

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Eden Hazard of Chelsea battles for the ball with Francis Coquelin of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on February 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Eden Hazard of Chelsea battles for the ball with Francis Coquelin of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on February 4, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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As usual, the top things that Chelsea needs at the moment are consistency and commitment. The best thing Chelsea can do is make a statement signing from within their own camp, signing Eden Hazard to an extreme extension.

Eden Hazard, at 26 years old, is Chelsea’s best player. If he achieves enough from a trophy perspective he could very well be the best player in the history of the club. He has the sort of talent that has clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona constantly looking at him, and the rumors never seem to end. That is the issue.

At Chelsea FC, rumors carry weight and can be quite damaging. They have lacked any level of commitment to their own for ages. Chelsea are a club that is almost attracted to drama. Drama surrounds transfers, the manager, the owner. It happens far more than it should.

Chelsea should make a smart move and offer a very large contract to Eden Hazard. That would cut out a lot of drama, and send a message about the club’s direction.

The contract should be a six-year, £350,000 per week contract. That would put Hazard on level terms with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and would make him the highest paid player at Chelsea and in the Premier League. Hazard has suggested on several occasions that he would be interested in another challenge at some point.

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The extra years and money in this contract offer are essentially to buy that interest out of him. Then, at age 32 and still at Chelsea, Hazard will have easily become the best player in club history.

With six more years of commitment to Chelsea, other great players will know that at least Hazard will be there for them to play with. Greats are attracted to the opportunity to play with other great players. That is what Chelsea should aim for. Alexis Sanchez could be the first of many who would want to join and inherently improve the squad.

There is no reason Chelsea should not attract the best players in the world. Those players will sign if they knew they were playing with a player who – at least on his day – is as good or better than Neymar. It would also give the manager the knowledge that he will always have a phenomenal talent in his squad.

The current offer is to increase Hazard’s contract to £300,000 per week for four years. Chelsea should be the proactive party here and stamp out any interest from other clubs. Hazard will see the affection and importance that Chelsea put in him as a compliment.

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Chelsea will then have a top five player in the world, whom the rest of the team will know they can rely on for the foreseeable future. That will stamp out the classic Chelsea drama.

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