In a recent print edition, The Sunday Mirror (05/12, p70) mentioned that West Ham United are set to rival Everton for Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard. It is understood that both the Hammers and the Toffees are leading the chase to secure the services of the Belgian international.
Hazard’s Unimpressive Season At The Spanish Capital So Far
Hazard is experiencing an underwhelming season with Los Blancos and has also missed a few games for them due to illness. The 30-year-old has only picked up one assist in 11 matches for the Madrid outfit during this campaign on all fronts.
The La Louviere-born talent has caught the eye at times but has struggled to be productive in the final third. Hazard has made most of his league appearances off the bench but has done well to average 0.8 shots, 1.4 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in La Liga. He has even been excellent when distributing possession deep inside the opponent’s half based on his pass completion rate of 93.2% in league football (stats via whoscored).
The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)
Is Hazard A Dream Option For West Ham United Boss David Moyes?
On his day, Hazard can still be an excellent dribbler out on the wide areas. He has got the eye to play a killer pass in and around the opposition box but the goals seem to have dried up for him recently. The 116-time Belgian international has got a wealth of experience at the highest level but has been susceptible to frequent injuries which has completely disrupted his Real Madrid career.
Still, there is no denying that a winger of Hazard’s quality will be a dream option for West Ham as David Moyes is desperately looking to add more quality to his attack to boost his team’s chances of securing a top-four place in the Premier League this season.
Hazard knows the Premier League well from his successful spell at Chelsea, so he won’t take much time to settle into life in English football as long as he can steer clear of injuries. Moyes has the luxury to offer him regular playing time at the London Stadium. At 30, the Belgian has still got a few years left in his career to make a difference at the top level. Therefore, the Hammers should think about arranging a cut-price move for him this January.
