Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
There can be no denying that Eden Hazard has more than proved his worth during his time at Chelsea; perhaps last year aside, the 26-year-old has been a key figure for the Blues ever since his move from Lille in 2012.
Now, however, it appears his time in London could be drawing to a close, with Real Madrid making very loud noises about bringing the Belgian to La Liga.
As is the norm with any player who consistently performs in the Premier League, a link to either Real or Barcelona becomes commonplace. While rumours are rife, this story has been gathering pace for some time now – but would Hazard actually fit in at Real?
“Eden Hazard jogs over to the corner” (CC BY 2.0) by Ben Sutherland
Eden Hazard plays as an attacking midfielder/winger which is the one area where Real Madrid have talent in abundance.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata, Karim Benzema, Mariano Díaz Mejía and Lucas Vázquez are all players who play in a similar position to Hazard at the Madrid club and are part of the reason why they are currently 4/11 to win this year’s Primera Division according to the La Liga Betting markets.
However, it would be fair to say that Hazard would jump straight ahead of a majority of those, with Benzema’s favoured position through the middle.
The key to the move is James Rodriguez. The Colombian appears to be out of favour with Real head coach Zinedine Zidane, sparking interest from all across Europe and even West London itself.
If (and it is a big if) Hazard decides he wants to switch, then there is very good reason to believe that Rodriguez would be part of the deal.
The deal would represent a like-for-like swap position-wise and Rodriguez’s acquisition would go a long way to appease frustrated Chelsea fans at losing arguably their best player.
The Colombian is also a year younger than Hazard and proved what a talent he is just a few years ago at the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
Despite this, Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte does not want the playmaker to leave, saying he can help improve Hazard as a player.
“Eden Hazard’s penalty against PSG” (CC BY 2.0) by Ben Sutherlan
Fifty-two league goals is a solid return but it is his assists and general all-round play that has made Hazard a hit on the Stamford Bridge terraces over the years; however, it has not all been sunshine and roses.
In February 2016, he received criticism from fans for saying “it would be difficult to say no to a move to PSG” following a number of lacklustre performances, with Chelsea missing out on a top-four Premier League spot for the 2016/17 season.
However, all has been forgiven now, with Chelsea currently top of the Premier League and seemingly on their way to a fifth English Premier League crown.
From the outside, Hazard looks like a player made for Real Madrid. With his silky skills, eye for goal and undeniable talent, Hazard has almost won it all with Chelsea, and he may fancy testing himself in Spain with the eleven-time European Champions.
Hazard to Real Madrid with Rodriguez coming the other way could prove to be the highest profile transfer in history, with the added caveat of both clubs coming away happy with the end result.
Chelsea fans, would you be happy to sell Hazard if James Rodriguez came the other way? Have your say in the comments box below.
