Everyone knows Chelsea is a club that gets right under opposing fans’ skin. Just imagine for one second you happen to dispense with something from your childhood that you once treasured. Perhaps it was something you’d grown out of or believed you no longer had a use for, or maybe you simply needed the money. However, the passing of time left you with a feeling of nostalgia for the said revered item. One day, you happen upon it for sale in an old flea market, second-hand shop or, more likely in these digital times, an internet auction site—you cannot believe your luck. It goes without saying, you buy it back without hesitation.
By now, you probably know where this is going; well, of course you do, you read the title. In regards to players such as Eden Hazard, cost implication, performance potential, xG, xA or his propensity for injury and his xI (for those that don’t know) matter not. As a fan, the opportunity to see the little Belgian back at Chelsea is a mouth-watering one. Hazard was a phenomenal player for the Blues over the year. It hasn’t really worked out for him at Real Madrid though, that may be disappointing for him personally, but not for Chelsea fans.
Chelsea should bring Eden Hazard back from Real Madrid in the near future
Hazard is, without question, one of the Blues’ greatest players of all-time. He departed the club following the Europa League final win against Arsenal in 2019 and has played in La Liga ever since. His dream to play under Zinedine Zidane for Los Blancos outweighed his appetite to stay in SW6. However, the lure of Chelsea Football Club, for those that have excelled and understood what it is to be a blue, is strong. Hazard fits into that category as snuggly as his lion-crested shirt.
Of course, there will be arguments over whether it would be worth bringing Hazard home. It’s no secret that the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, is a big fan. The return of another former hero, Frank Lampard, split the fan base in the same way Maurizio Sarri did during his one season with the club. The chances are, Hazard’s return will once again open that wound. The FIFA fanboys will doubtless regard the Belgian’s return as a step backward. Meanwhile, the, let’s say, “more mature” supporters will be salivating at the thought.
Could Hazard still do a job in what is regarded as the most competitive league in Europe? Could Thomas Tuchel fit him into his Chelsea side? Perhaps more importantly, would he improve the current starting XI? For this writer, the answer to all those questions is a resounding yes, but then the last time he played FIFA, Pele was fronting the cover.
There is no doubting that Tuchel’s Blues are currently scraping out the right results. The club sits proudly on top of the Premier League after all. The problem is, whilst the defence stand firm, the attacking players are still struggling to forge partnerships. At the head of that unit is Romelu Lukaku, who re-started his Chelsea career with much promise. However, the goals have dried up and the goals that do come could be from a player in any position. The Blues need a striker to score 20 goals per season, Lukaku is undoubtedly that man, but he needs help.
What he needs, and this is simplistic, is someone he knows and has a ready-made relationship with. Someone who he maybe plays with internationally. Better still would be someone who knows the Premier League and has previously performed well in the English top flight. Of course, he needs Eden Hazard like a Belgian needs fries and chocolate. It’s beyond obvious and with the rumour mill circulating ideas that the seeds of a deal have been planted, it’s the perfect answer to Chelsea’s scoring problems.
There will be those that say you should never go back or hanker for the long lost. However, Chelsea players past have shown time and again that it’s a club like no other, just like that scrappy first guitar you threw out as a 25-year-old.