World Football: Is Axel Witsel the Next Belgian to Move to a Big Club?

Here we go again, yet another article about a young Belgian player who is applying his trade in a second-tier European league.

But wait, this article is not about the newest Chelsea player Eden Hazard, it is about Benfica player Axel Witsel.

Witsel, 23, is two years older than Hazard and does not have a ton of hype surrounding him this summer, but, nonetheless, he is quite the talented player.

Another difference between the Belgian international teammates is that Witsel transferred to a new club last summer with his move to Benfica from Standard Liege.

Witsel had a successful first season in Portugal and continued with his solid form that attracted the club to the midfielder.

Now, with Hazard being the next young Belgian to enter the Premier League alongside Everton's Marouand Fellaini, Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku and Moussa Dembele at Fulham, it is only a matter of time before Witsel joins them.

Witsel has been garnering interest from the top clubs in the Premier League for a while and AC Milan was close to signing him last summer before the move to Benfica.

So, the real question is: When will Axel Witsel make his move to one of Europe's big leagues?

The answer to that should not be this summer; it should be some time in the next year, though.

Another year playing in Portugal with Benfica will give the defensive midfielder more time to develop as a player.

Witsel will be guaranteed to play on a constant basis and will be able to play in the UEFA Champions League as well.

So far in the football offseason, Witsel has not seen his name in the rumor mill too much, but come January, he may be a household name.

If Witsel and Belgium had made an appearance at Euro 2012, it may have been a different situation, but the midfielder does not have a big platform to showcase his talents until this fall's Champions League.

With the spectacle of a big tournament like Euro 2012, young players will be spotted by top clubs and Witsel will be overlooked and will have to wait until January.

It is only a matter of time before the transfer hype machine picks up Witsel and takes him on a whirlwind journey to a top European club to join his other Belgian teammates making a mark on European club football.