Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Must Keep Hold of Eden Hazard, Cesar Azpilicueta

All signs coming from Chelsea regarding potential moves away from the club for some of the biggest stars are positive, and Jose Mourinho has to continue his efforts in keeping the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesar Azpilicueta in west London.

The Blues have started the 2014-15 campaign on fire and are undefeated in the Premier League and the Champions League after three months. Naturally, the vultures are circling, with a host of top clubs around the European continent reportedly interested in the team's top performers.

Mourinho is having none of it, however. As Reported by Goal's Sam Lee, he is confident the Belgium international is close to signing a new deal:

"

You look at the age of the players... [Didier] Drogba and John [Terry] are over 30. After that, everyone is below 30. Ivanovic is at that limit. All the other guys are very young.

If they're happy to be here, like Oscar is showing with a new contract, like Eden is showing: he will sign a new contract sooner or later. They can basically be the Chelsea team for the next few years.

"

Meanwhile, star defender Cesar Azpilicueta has ruled out a move to La Liga amid reported interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, via the Daily Express' Anthony Chapman:

"

I do not think about [a move to Spain]. I am very happy here. I follow La Liga but personally I do not think about returning there. Now I'm really enjoying London. I prefer the Premier League.

[...] I am lucky to train with great defenders and they are also an example for me.

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All of this is music to the ears of Chelsea fans, as it should be. The club has been wildly successful in the transfer market in recent years—now the focus has shifted to keeping the biggest stars at the club, rather than attracting new ones.

The Blues have become one of England's biggest clubs in the last decade, capable of matching the wages virtually any club in the world can offer. Add a winning culture and one of the most revered managers in the world to the mix, and you end up with a team most capable of hanging on to its stars.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

The lure to play for one of the legendary clubs, like Real Madrid or Barcelona, will always remain. Competing with the La Liga giants isn't easy on any level, whether it's the transfer market or the output on the pitch, but as of right now, the Blues are doing more than okay.

The landscape of the football world has changed drastically in the last couple of years, however. Where once Chelsea were the biggest players on the open market, handing out huge sums to bring in talent, the amount of clubs capable of doing the same has seen a big increase.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Replacing top talent is harder than ever before, with Real, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich also showing a willingness to spend big money.

Amid all that financial firepower, Mourinho has made the conscious decision to focus on youth and talent development, via Eurosport's Marcus Foley:

"

We are making money to be able to spend money. In every transfer window Chelsea is losing players, is selling players. In the winter one we sold Mata; in the summer one we sold David Luiz and Lukaku.

So Chelsea in this moment is not a spender – Chelsea in this moment is making more money in transfers than the money we spend.

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In the age of Financial Fair Play, such prudence is both admirable and commendable, but it does mean it becomes even harder to replace talent with established talent.

Hazard and Azpilicueta are two examples of pivotal players for Mourinho's club. The former pulls the strings out wide, providing plenty of danger in front of goal—the latter has been so good top signing Filipe Luis is still warming the bench at Stamford Bridge.

Neither seems likely to leave in the near future, which speaks volumes to the state the Blues are in right now: The players are happy, the results are falling their way and everyone seems more than comfortable under the guidance of Mourinho.

Things sometimes change quickly in football, and when they do, the current course of retaining talent rather than acquiring it has to remain the one the club chooses to take. It's not as easy buying the next Hazard or Azpilicueta as it was five years ago, which is why keeping them around should be priority No. 1.

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