Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsene Wenger today admitted that Eden Hazard was a target for Arsenal at one point, saying the club were a “few million” away from securing his services.
He would eventually go on to join Chelsea from French club Lille, while Arsenal settled for his partner in crime Gervinho (signed the year before). The player himself admitted his admiration for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger at the time, and was said to be very interested in the move, but it never materialized.
How different things would have been if Hazard joined us instead. By different, I don’t necessarily mean he would have helped break Arsenal’s title duct earlier, but he certainly would have strengthened the side significantly. He joined Chelsea the same year Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud, and Monreal joined Arsenal, while Van Persie and Alex Song departed.
Hazard for Van Persie would have been a switch Arsenal fans will take all day long and he would have instantly become the talisman. Arsenal were of course still reeling from the departures of Fabregas and Nasri the year before and in Hazard and Cazorla we would have found their like for like replacements.
His rapid developments to world elite was there for all to see and it is no real surprise he won all three player of the year awards last season.
It is frightening to think what kind of player he would have developed into under Wenger’s tutelage. Still everything happens for a reason, and with him Arsenal arguably would have no need for one or both of Ozil and Sanchez.
From that perspective, losing out on him perhaps wasn’t all bad right?
