Chelsea should re-sign Eden Hazard when given the opportunity

Footballers returning to the club considered their one true home is becoming a common trend nowadays. Perhaps the most notable move of this nature was the shocking summer transfer that saw Manchester United bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to England after a 12 years. A bit closer to home, Willian returned to Corinthians after a 14-year stint in Europe (half of that time in Chelsea blue). For some, the moves represent a homecoming after both the player and club grow following a previous split. For others, the returns are simply the sign of a declining career and one last hoorah for nostalgia’s sake.

The closest thing to this type of reunion in recent years for the Blues was David Luiz’s return from Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazilian centerback lasted just a few years in his second spell, but it was a rather successful move nonetheless. Chelsea has the chance to now jump on the returnee bandwagon as rumors linking it with Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard have begun to heat up once again. The Blues should pull the trigger on a move for Hazard in January without hesitation.

Before diving into the reasoning, a few things need to be laid out. This is a sensitive topic amongst Chelsea faithful due to Hazard’s poor form since joining the Spanish giants. Does the nostalgia factor into wanting to bring the Belgian back to Stamford Bridge? Absolutely, any Blues supporter who tells you otherwise is lying. Is that the entire reason for encouraging a reunion? Not at all. It’s also worth noting Chelsea would not be getting back the same Hazard that fans remember so fondly. It’s been a rough few seasons on the club legend in Spain with injuries and managerial changes. The Blues would be buying a special player with a worrying injury history. Regardless, there are a plethora of reasons why Chelsea should pursue Hazard in the upcoming windows.

First and foremost, it’s a low-risk, high-reward situation. Hazard’s situation at Real is quickly becoming a toxic one with Carlo Ancelotti recently stating he prefers other wingers to a healthy Hazard. The former Blues No. 10 made the move to Madrid to play under his childhood idol, Zinedine Zidane, anyway, so he’s not particularly tied down to the historical football powerhouse any longer. The door swings both ways. Real Madrid has little reason to keep Hazard around on about £400,000 per week if he’s seldom going to play. The Spanish club also needs to start raising funds for some big money moves next summer with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe topping its wishlist. Therefore, the Blues may be able to acquire Hazard either on loan or for significantly less than they sold him for back in 2019. This deal would be comparable to those of Ross Barkley and Thiago Silva in recent years.

The second reason a Hazard reunion makes sense is because there’s still a great player in there somewhere. The 30-year-old will never reach the level he once consistently played at again, that much is becoming obvious. Nevertheless, if Hazard is able to play with half of the talent he used to, he could be a major asset to Thomas Tuchel’s side. The German manager lacks natural wingers in his line-up currently. Those that have played there have also struggled at times, some more than others. For example, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech are all arguably better in other positions. Tuchel doesn’t necessarily deploy wingers as they’re used to though—his wide forwards play either a very wide, advanced midfield role or as inverted wingers.

Lastly, bringing in someone with Hazard’s experience and understanding for the league would be beneficial to the dressing room setting. If nothing else, he’d be a super sub capable of some truly magic moments when called upon late in matches. His relationship with Romelu Lukaku is also a massive plus. The time they’d spend on the pitch together would surely minimal due to the drastically different roles each would take up. Nevertheless, it’s looking early on like Lukaku needs some help up front; Hazard has that chemistry with him.

There are a lot of people claiming Chelsea fans are delusional for wanting Hazard back—either that or they’re letting nostalgia cleanse their memories. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The Hazard links will naturally continue until the lovable Belgian hangs up his boots, but the Blues need to tune out a vocal minority of fans and listen to their hearts on this one.

A Chelsea-Hazard reunion is what the world wants.

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