Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid hasn’t worked out. That’s a harsh statement to open an article with, but it’s also the truth. Hazard spent most of his career dreaming of the move, but it turned into a nightmare from the moment he arrived. He hasn’t been able to stay fit, he’s looked out of shape when he’s managed to make it onto the field, and he’s incurred the wrath of the club’s fans on several occasions. They think he’s a waste of money, and there are signs that Madrid’s powers-that-be have begun to agree. After making just 51 appearances in three seasons since joining the club and scoring only five goals, the Belgian’s time in Spain might be over.
The idea of Hazard becoming available is likely to be music to the ears of many people in London, England. Chelsea never wanted to let Hazard go but allowed it to happen because he’d stayed with them for seven trophy-laden seasons. He even signed off by scoring the goal that won Chelsea the Europa League. The supremely gifted made a big show of declaring his love for Chelsea even on his way out of the club, and sources close to him say that they would be his first choice if he leaves Madrid. The feeling is reciprocated at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich is a huge fan of Hazard, and manager Thomas Tuchel admires his talents too. On paper, this looks like an easy, straightforward deal.
Before anyone puts pen to paper on anything, though, there are a few things that ought to be considered. The first is a classic piece of dating advice. It’s commonly accepted wisdom that you should never get back with an ex. Even if you’re able to rekindle some of the passion, it will never be quite like you remember it the first time. Hazard’s seven years at Chelsea were truly special. He was one of the best players in the world when he was in his prime, and he left Blues fans with incredible memories. Hazard gave Chelsea the best years of his career. His recent problems suggest he’s no longer the same player, and so returning to the club would invite unflattering comparisons with the way he was when he was first there. Cristiano Ronaldo might soon encounter the same problem at Manchester United despite his impressive start.
The second thing that ought to be considered – and arguably the far more important one – is Hazard’s physical state and the recent problems we’ve alluded to. Hazard wasn’t known for having injury problems before he left England for Spain. Now, he’s never off the treatment table. Since arriving in Madrid, he’s missed a month of football with a hamstring problem, two months with a cracked bone in his foot, three months with a fissure in his fibula, a further four months split across four separate occasions with unspecified muscle injuries, and a second hamstring problem that kept him out for more than forty days at the start of the current season. Even now, as we write this article, he’s been out for more than a week with another unspecified muscle injury and isn’t expected back for at least another ten days. Hazard has, sadly, become a liability.
There’s a suspicion in Spain that Hazard wouldn’t be quite so injury prone if he took better care of his body. Part of the reason that players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been able to continue at such a high level for so long is that they’re consummate professionals – they train their bodies even during post-season and across winter breaks. Hazard, by his own admission, gains five pounds almost immediately the moment he gets any time off. He’s looked overweight at several points in the past three years, and fans have noticed. Many of his injuries have occurred in training, and there’s a sense that if he showed up for training in better condition, he wouldn’t suffer quite so much damage while he was there.
Training and weight gain didn’t outwardly seem to be an issue for Hazard at Chelsea, so it’s possible that a move back “home” might solve the problem, but it’s not a guarantee. It would be a risk, and given the likely transfer and wage costs involved, it’s an expensive one to take. You wouldn’t place a million-dollar bet at an online slots website because you’d have no guarantee of winning, and a club might not be inclined to invest millions of pounds in an injury-prone player for the same reason. On the other hand, it’s the prospect of winning a huge jackpot that makes people bet big at online slots websites. If you think the rewards are there to be won and you can afford to make the bet, there’s no harm in making it. Chelsea has more resources than your average online slots player does. If they think Hazard still has more to give and they know how to take care of him better than Real Madrid does, they could consider this a risk worth taking.
All of this might yet prove to be immaterial. There are several newspapers and “in the know” journalists talking up the prospects of Hazard returning to Chelsea in January or during the summer of 2022, but there’s one who isn’t. When it comes to transfer dealings, there’s no journalist in football more respected or in possession of a better track record than Fabrizio Romano. According to Romano, the move isn’t happening. He said as much on a recent Twitch podcast and stands by his statement. History suggests that Romano’s sources within Spanish football are especially good, and so if there was a deal being prepared, he’d be likely to know about it. However, that doesn’t mean that Chelsea isn’t preparing a bid without Madrid’s knowledge. Given Madrid’s financial position and the fact that they no longer see Hazard as a key player, they’d be likely to let the Belgian leave so long as the offer is good enough.
Even with all the money involved in modern football, the heart often rules the head in situations like this. Hazard returning to Chelsea would be a romantic story, and that makes it more likely to happen. Swapping blue for white didn’t work for him, but swapping white for blue might be the fairytale ending his career needs.