Eden Hazard has yet again alluded to the idea of leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. In an interview with French radio station RMC, Hazard said “I know what I will do. I have made my decision.”
There has been ongoing negotiations with Hazard for some time now but there seems to have been little progress with regards to him accepting a new contract. This along with the huge speculation of interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid suggests that the Chelsea number 10 will be on his way out at the end of the season.
Despite only having 12 months left on his contract, it is believed that Chelsea value him at over £100m and it has been reported this may be the reason that negotiations have been dragged out. It is clear Hazard wants the move but it is weather Real Madrid are willing to pay that amount of money. Risky business from the London club as without getting their star player to sign a new contract he could end up leaving the club for significantly less than their valuation.
From a fans point of view, this has been expected for a number of years now. I personally thought the departure of Ronaldo last year was enough for Real Madrid to get the Belgian in, but they have still held off.
But enough is enough, if Hazard wants to go then he needs to go sooner rather than later so that Chelsea can plan for a future without him. The Blues have been heavily reliant on him to score goals since the departure of Diego Costa; and theres no doubt it will be a huge change to the squad.
Eden Hazard is a great player…when he turns up
Instead of being worried, I see this as an opportunity for change which is arguably needed at the club. This is a huge moment for Chelsea to show the fans whether they really have faith in the youth prospects of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus Cheek. If Chelsea know that a deal for Hazard is going to be easy to get over the line with Real Madrid, this may have been a talking point with Hudson-Odoi when he was negotiating his own contract after interest from Bayern Munich.
With Christian Pulisic already coming into the squad at the end of the season it would be nice to see Chelsea use the money received for Hazard invested elsewhere in the squad.
A goal scoring striker is much needed!
Gonzalo Higuain seems to have started well but his loan spell is only to the end of the season so something long term needs to be arranged. Chelsea have the opportunity to get the fans back on the boards side within the coming months, it is entirely their choice whether they take that opportunity.
With regards to the Hazard situation, the fans are extremely appreciative of what you have done at the club so lets not tarnish your reputation by toying with their emotions. It’s time to stop keeping everyone guessing and stop all the speculation, announce what you want to do and the fans will respect your decision either way.
For more like this, visit our dedicated football page here. Meanwhile, follow us on Facebook for more opinions and analysis right to your timeline.