Eden Hazard Transfer News & Odds

Eden Hazard’s stint at Real Madrid was brought to an end just five days ago after an agreement to terminate the deal a year early was reached. It brings to an end what has been a thoroughly miserable stay in the Spanish capital for the Belgian, whose arrival for a staggering £89m in 2019 initially promised so much but ultimately saw him plagued by injuries and bad form in what is surely one of football’s worst ever big-money transfers.

Hazard picked up a winners medal in six different competitions while a part of Los Blancos, but contributed a paltry seven goals in his 76 outings in the white shirt of Real, with the dribbling demon that terrorised Premier League defences during his time in England transformed into an absolute shell of that player in Madrid. But Hazard, who announced his retirement from Belgium national team duty in December after failing on the international stage yet again with the country’s so-called “Golden Generation” of players, still believes he can carry on playing.

In a recent interview with Belgian outlet RTBF, Hazard was quoted as saying “I still feel capable of being a professional footballer, my body can take it”. But after a torrid spell in Madrid that saw him miss 78 games through injury and once go on a 392-day goal drought, can Hazard still cut it at the top level? Here, we take a look at the few clubs that have been linked with a move for the Belgian winger in this window…

There has not been any serious talk about what the Belgian’s next move will be as of yet, with just a handful of tenuous links to only a small number of clubs and leagues being reported so far.

So naturally, with a lack of concrete links anywhere else and considering Hazard’s age and form, the MLS is considered by many to be his most likely next move. It is one of a handful of world football’s so-called “retirement leagues” alongside the Turkish Super Lig, Japan’s J1 League and the Saudi and UAE leagues in the Middle East, where faded stars go for one last big payday before calling time on their illustrious careers.

That is why the MLS seems like the most likely destination for him currently, but also explains why, according to Spanish outlet Marca, the Vancouver Whitecaps are the only MLS team to have shown concrete and legitimate interest in securing Hazard’s signature. While he has been absolutely terrible for the last four years of his career, Hazard’s signing would be a big coup for the Whitecaps, who currently boast the fourth-worst attendance in the MLS – his name would surely get more spectators in seats at BC Place.

A move to the Canadian outfit would also make Hazard the most high-profile player to have played for the club since current Bayern Munich starlet Alphonso Davies, and with the slower nature and lower quality of the league, it is an environment that could help Hazard regain some form.

Another “retirement league” option for Hazard would be to make the move to Saudi Arabia this summer like some big-name players already have done, and many more are expected to do so over the coming few weeks of the transfer window.

Saudi football has been making big strides over recent months with eye-watering cash injections being made into their league in an attempt to attract the biggest names to play in the country as part of an overall plan to get more eyes on the league and improve the quality of the product as well. And Al-Nassr, the side who currently employ Cristiano Ronaldo and pay the Portuguese star a reported £3m a week, are the Saudi club that have been most heavily linked with a move for the Belgian, and a big-money offer could easily turn Hazard’s head.

And again, the chance to play in a much slower and lower-quality league will appeal to Hazard as he looks to regain even a small semblance of the form that made him such a household name in the first place. There is still enough space for another foreign signing at the club, as Al-Nassr currently still have the capacity to bring in three more non-Saudi signings before they hit the league’s limit of only eight overseas players in a squad – and were a move to happen, Hazard would be linking up with experienced European football names such as Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic and David Ospina.

The Turkish top flight is a league that some would also call a retirement home for faded stars, but it is arguably of a higher quality than other such leagues and its clubs can still enjoy participation in European football in the form of either the Champions, Europa or Europa Conference League, which is a factor in attracting some of those stars.

And Fenerbahce, one of the country’s most decorated clubs, have somewhat of a habit of signing players ex of Premier League fame. Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Raul Meireles, Mesut Ozil and Enner Valencia are the best examples of ex-Premier League players who have gone to play for the Yellow Canaries later on in their careers after stints in England, and all of those players made the move to the club while in their 30s, a small group that 32-year-old Hazard could soon become a part of.

Hazard would be joining a club looking to win their first Turkish league title since 2014, with Fener finishing as runners-up in each of the last two league campaigns. To ensure another charge for the title, Fener have been busy in the transfer market so far, bringing in reliable goalscorer Edin Dzeko and exciting winger Ryan Kent from Rangers, to add to a group of forwards that already includes Michy Batshuayi and ex-Bournemouth frontman Joshua King.

Securing Hazard’s signature would also be key in placating what are sure to be angry sections of the Fenerbahce fanbase this summer as the club’s newest upcoming star, 18-year-old Arda Guler, looks set to complete a move to Real Madrid.

Admittedly, this move would be a strange and unlikely one, not only because of the history between ex-Chelsea man Hazard and the North London club – that famous goal from the Belgian attacker seven minutes from time in the infamous Battle Of The Bridge in 2016 will still sting for many Tottenham fans.

But, in a summer where we have already seen ex-Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino make the move to Stamford Bridge where he will take charge of the Blues for the 2023/24 campaign, it’s not totally improbable that Hazard could make the move to one of Chelsea’s fiercest rivals as well.

Remember, it is a transfer that could have happened all the way back in 2012 when Hazard was still in Ligue 1 with Lille – Hazard was reportedly keen on the Lilywhites and then-Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has stated that he and Hazard did briefly meet to discuss a move, but it was ultimately Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League win that turned Hazard’s head in favour of a move to the Blues.

But, it is a move that could happen now, just over a decade later. Hazard would become only just the seventh Belgian player to ever pull on a Spurs shirt, and based on the previous performances of Belgian players at the club, could he provide Tottenham fans with some good memories? The trio of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele, who all made over 100 appearances for the club, were all firm fan favourites during their time at White Hart Lane and came close to actually picking up silverware on a few occasions as Tottenham ended up as runners-up in multiple competitions.

But despite all of that, Tottenham may decide to bring in Hazard this summer anyway, even just as a squad depth option, as there could be departures at the club over the coming few weeks – Lucas Moura has already left, while Harry Kane could very well leave for Bayern Munich. Tottenham will need incomings to bolster their frontline, and Eden Hazard, while a left-field option, is someone the club may choose to sign.

Might it be a romantic return to West London instead for Hazard? The club that signed him for £32m in 2012, and got 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 appearances in return from the Belgian, could very well make a move for their former star man this summer.

Unfortunately, it is a move that would not make sense for either party as Chelsea go through another phase of major squad surgery, while Hazard is obviously not the player he used to be and would likely fail to make much of an impact back at Stamford Bridge. But this new Chelsea, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and a consortium led by investment firm Clearlake Capital, have already shown that they are not exactly the shrewdest of operators in terms of both the day-to-day running of a football club and the transfer market. This is not the ruthless yet smart Chelsea of old, and that could pave the way for a surprise Hazard return to Stamford Bridge.

It was at French side Lille that Hazard burst onto the scene as one of Europe’s best young players to watch in the late 2000s, as the then-young Belgian played his part in leading Les Dogues to a French league and cup double in 2011.

Hazard made four sporadic appearances in 2007/08, with the following campaign being considered the year he finally broke into the first team as he wound up making 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals. 2009/10 could arguably be considered his breakout year as he scored 10 and assisted 13 in all competitions, and he properly solidified his status as the next big thing in 2010/11 as he scored 12 and assisted 14 as Lille won the double.

22 goals and 22 assists in all competitions followed in 2011/12 in what was to be Hazard’s final season in northern France as Lille went trophyless, but Hazard would go on to secure a move to Chelsea. That was a long time ago, though, and so much has changed since. Hazard went on to win many major club football trophies during his time at Chelsea and at Madrid, despite how horribly his move to Madrid ultimately turned out.

Lille went from being a solid top-six Ligue 1 team to almost being relegated in 2018 before finally winning their first trophy since Hazard’s departure when they surprisingly clinched the Ligue 1 title in 2020/21.

Could Hazard now make the move back to France in what is the twilight of his career? Lille would be a good place to go – it is in a top-five European league and European football is also on offer if Lille can get through a Conference League play-off tie, while Hazard would surely be a great source of advice for the club’s younger forwards such as Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova.

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