Eden Hazard has found himself in quite a strange position at Real Madrid. The 31-year-old has been linked with a move back to England. The Belgian was responsible for Madrid’s cutting-edge victory against Elche in the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Ray.
Injuries and struggles at the Bernabéu
Eden Hazard had a flashy transfer to Madrid from Chelsea for a whopping £130 million, where he claimed that playing for the Whites has been his childhood dream. But the forward hasn’t really kicked off his career in Spain. The Belgian has been consistently getting injured and his position has been a snafus.
Since joining Real, he has scored only 6 goals and 10 assists in 60 overall appearances. While his time at Chelsea, he had nearly 202 goals and assists in 350+ appearances. So his performance has seen a sharp drop.
Due to his struggles and problems, rumours have emerged suggesting that Hazard could return to Premier League, with newly owned big spenders Newcastle United also interested in bringing the 31-year-old back to the English league.
Tuchel’s side has consistently been linked with a run for Hazard, but reports this week suggested that they are not one of the teams that has offered the winger a get-out from Madrid this month.
However, there could some light at the end of the road for Eden. Real Madrid’s gaffer Carlo Ancelotti has made it sure that Hazard is a part of his plans at Madrid, inspite of his recent form.
Carlo Ancelotti denies rumours on Real Madrid planning to sell Eden Hazard: “Hazard is in our plans for the next season, I can confirm”, he said. ⚪️🇧🇪 #RealMadrid
Leaving the club in January has never been a concrete possibility.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 22, 2022
Real Madrid is heavily dependent on their forwards for their goals. No other player on the team has G+A numbers in double digits except Benzema and Vinicius. Benzema was rested for the game against Elche in the Copa del Rey. Vinicius looked sloppy on the field. Had Hazard not risen to the occasion, Real Madrid would have been out of the competition by now.
Mbappe Wonder Transfer?
Ancelotti is dependant on his veteran winger to score for Real. With news coming that Mbappe could be a potential transfer target, the Real boss would love to have the Belgian on his roster. Hazard has a knack for being the ace playmaker, which is what Madrid expects from him.
If Mbappe were to join Real, he would need an experienced frontline behind him. Kroos and Modric, almost passing their prime, Ancelotti would require Hazard’s creativity to feed goals to Kylian.
Real Madrid wouldn’t be worried about the transfer market too much as they rank first in the La Liga. They face PSG next month in the Champions League, which will be their toughest task this season up to now.
Under Ancelotti, both Bale and Hazard will look to bring back their old form, and could consider it their revival. It will surely be exciting for the fans to watch them trying to recreate their glorious form.
