"I don't know if leaving Chelsea would be good for Hazard"
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez believes that Eden Hazard may not be suited to a new challenge at Real Madrid and says staying at Chelsea is his best option.
Belgium head coach, Roberto Martinez, has explained the reasons for which Eden Hazard should remain at Chelsea and not make the mooted move to Real Madrid, saying he has a chance “to reinvent himself” at Stamford Bridge.
Hazard’s contract with Chelsea ends in June 2020 and speculation linking him with a summer 2019 move to Real Madrid has grown in recent months. The 27-year-old has spoken of his desire to play for the LaLiga giants on several occasions, but Chelsea is offering to make him the highest paid player in the club’s history in the hopes of convincing him to stay.
Meanwhile, Blues’ coach Maurizio Sarri, under whom Hazard has said he enjoys playing, is also putting pressure on the Belgian to remain at the London club, and last week said it was now time for him to decide on his future, which, according to Martinez, would be better spent at Stamford Bridge than the Bernabéu.
A new project may not suit Hazard - Martinez
“I do not know if a new challenge would be good for him. He knows how much they love him at Chelsea and there's chemistry between Sarri and him. Besides, he is enjoying his time at Chelsea, where he has reached an exceptional level,” said the Spanish coach in an interview with Belgian newspaper HLN.
“It’s uncertain that a new project will suit him. I am convinced that he can reinvent himself at the club”
When pressed on his future following Chelsea's 2-1 win against Watford on December 28th, the Belgian international kept schtum, saying he would make a decision at the end of the season.