Hazard on His Way Out?
Eden Hazard produced a tremendous performance in the FA Cup final on Saturday to land Chelsea the trophy at Wembley. The Belgian international scored the only goal of the match in a 1-0 win for the Blues over Manchester United and was threatening throughout.
Hazard on Song
The decisive moment of the match came when Hazard picked the ball up close to the half-way line and Manchester United defender Phil Jones hesitated as the Chelsea forward took control of the ball. With one touch Hazard was away from Jones and there was not catching him, leaving the England international to make a clumsy challenge and concede a penalty.
Hazard dusted himself off and stepped up to coolly send David De Gea the wrong way and role the ball into the back of the net from the spot.
Winning the FA Cup has gone someway to making up for a disappointing Chelsea season and there will be no Champions League football at Stamford Bridge next season. At the age of 27, Hazard knows he is reaching a crucial stage of his career and must decide if he willing to commit his future to a club which will not be playing on the biggest European stage of them all next season.
Following the win over Manchester United, Hazard was asked by BBC Sport if he will remain at Chelsea next season and he responded by saying, “Now I am just happy. “To see the fans celebrate is something we like. We didn’t have a great season but at least we finish with a trophy.”
There was clearly no way Hazard was going to tell the Chelsea fans he was leaving immediately following the only highlight of their season but the fact he did not commit to staying at the club is a telling sign.
Madrid or Manchester?
Real Madrid will be in the market for a new forward this summer and they have already been linked with a move for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. However, the Egyptian has only been at Anfield for one season which could make a move for the Liverpool forward difficult whereas Hazard has been at Chelsea since 2012.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Hazard has lit up the Premier League with some terrific displays. His low centre of gravity means he can twist and turn away from defenders yet keep the ball under close control. The Belgian international also possesses good pace and gracefully eases across the pitch, leaving defenders in his wake.
There is little doubt Hazard has what it takes to success at Real Madrid but according to the Daily Star newspaper, Manchester City are also interested in the player and Pep Guardiola is preparing a £100 million swoop for the forward.
If both Real Madrid and Manchester City come calling, it us going to be tough for Chelsea to persuade Hazard to remain at the club next season. If he leaves, Chelsea are going to struggle to replace him.