Eden Hazard is being linked with a return to Chelsea this summer. CaughtOffside have considered where he could fit into Thomas Tuchel’s side.
When Hazard finally left Chelsea for Real Madrid, after several years of speculation, anyone with any affiliation with the Blues will have shed a tear.
The Belgian is one of the best players in the club’s history, having starred in the winning of two Premier League titles, the Europa League on two occasions, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Losing him was an immeasurable blow for Chelsea, but Marina Granovskaia and co have reportedly been presented with an opportunity to right the wrong and re-sign their former talisman.
That’s according to AS, who believe that €60M could be enough for Chelsea to convince Real Madrid to sell this summer, an affordable sum for the European champions.
It’s unclear whether there’s any appetite at the Bridge to get the deal done, but nevertheless, we’ve considered how he could fit into Thomas Tuchel’s plans.
Perhaps the obvious suggestion would be for Hazard to come straight back into the fold at left wing, the position he occupied during his previous stint at Chelsea.
This would likely be at the expense of either Mason Mount or Kai Havertz, which would be hugely unfair to either of them, but if Hazard were to successfully produce his best performance level after returning, it’d be worth it.
Tuchel used a 3-4-3 system after joining Chelsea in January, with the assumption being that he’ll stick with it heading into his first full campaign in charge of the Blues.
Hazard would fit like a glove onto the left side of that attack.
Chelsea are in need of a striker, with every elite centre-forward around, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku, to name a few, looking near unobtainable.
With Tuchel having experimented with Havertz through the middle last term, could he do the same with Hazard?
Hazard did function as a ‘false nine’ on rare occasions during his first stint with Chelsea. There is a possibility that, should the Blues not be able to find a striker, they could settle on using Hazard in that role.
After all, 21 goals in his final season with the club is not bad going at all. He has an eye for goal, and could be productive for Chelsea while flanked by such a huge amount of creative talent.
Chelsea are chasing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, according to Sky Sports.
Football is rarely as straightforward as this, but if you add Haaland into the Champions League winning side, the chances are the Premier League will be wrapped up before it’s even began.
Add in Eden Hazard in full flow and it gets even more scary for Chelsea’s opponents.
Of course, it’s unlikely that Chelsea would be able to pull off deals for both Haaland and Hazard, but if they were successful, surely the 30-year-old’s third Premier League title is signed and sealed?
It might require a tactical rejig, but my word, what an attack that’d be…
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