John Barnes: Why Eden Hazard exit could be blessing in disguise for Chelsea FC
John Barnes has his say on what life may be like for Chelsea FC without Eden Hazard
John Barnes believes that Eden Hazard’s expected exit from Chelsea FC this summer could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Blues.
The 28-year-old playmaker has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer and he has been widely tipped to move to the Bernabeu to link up with Zinedine Zidane.
Chelsea FC will welcome Christian Pulisic to the club this summer after having agreed a deal to bring the 20-year-old in from Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window.
Hazard is widely regarded as one of European football’s top attacking talents and he has been a key player this season, scoring 16 goals and making 15 assists in the Premier League.
However, former England star Barnes has pointed to how well Liverpool FC have coped since the exit of Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window last year.
Asked how badly Chelsea FC would miss Hazard if he left the club, Barnes exclusively told The Sport Review for bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk: “Well, how hard was it for Liverpool and life without Philippe Coutinho?
“When you don’t have a player who dominates the team, other players show what they can do.
“They [Chelsea FC] have got good players, but because everything has to go through Hazard, maybe they are a bit inhibited in showing what they can do.
“People said the same thing about Liverpool [with Coutinho]. I don’t think a team should have one player who dominates so much that they can’t perform without him.
“Maybe they’ll become more of a team and perform better [without him].”
Hazard will be hoping to help the west London club end the season on a high when they take on Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku on 29 May.
The Belgium international has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and the Europa League since his move to Chelsea FC from Lille back in the summer of 2012.
