Eden Hazard Comments on PSG Transfer, Chelsea Future and Euro 2016

Chelsea star Eden Hazard has ruled out a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain, stating if he is to leave the Blues he wants to do so “like a boss.” 

The Belgium international had a testing season at Stamford Bridge in 2015-16, unable to reach the heights that saw him crowned as the PFA Player of the Year the season before. Speaking to Telefoot (h/t Goal), Hazard expressed his desire to have more success with the Londoners before embarking on a new challenge.

“I have a contract until 2020. I don't want to finish like this," he said. "If I have to leave, I must do it like a boss. Like I did in Lille. PSG are not among my projects right now.”

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In Hazard’s penultimate season with Lille he helped the team to a surprise league triumph before winning the Player of the Year award the following term and establishing himself as one of the hottest prospects in the game.

After shining in his first couple of seasons following his move to Chelsea, Hazard was the driving force behind the team’s Premier League title success in 2014-15 and on the cusp of the term just gone, many anticipated that he would go on to cement his status as one of the best players in world football.

But as these numbers from Squawka Football illustrate, while Hazard did have a late flourish in the campaign, the majority of the season was a huge struggle for him:

The late upturn in standards may have been too late to save the Blues from a hugely disappointing year, but for Belgium’s 2016 UEFA European Championship chances it could be a huge positive.

Hazard is one of many players expected to star for the Red Devils this summer, and in the absence of Vincent Kompany he has been handed the captain’s armband by manager Marc Wilmots.

Hazard is already eyeing up a potential run to the latter stages and a possible opponent, too. “My dream is to reach the semi-finals against France, and if we win there’s no reason we can’t win the final,” said the stand-in Belgium captain.

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It’s certainly not a fantastical proposition to suggest Belgium can prosper at this tournament, with an attack containing players such as Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku likely to strike fear into any defence in the competition. They're adept at the back too, with the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.

Bleacher Report’s Gianni Verschueren feels as though the team need to up their game based on recent performances:

Hazard will want to make amends after what was a largely forgettable campaign. He will be hugely disappointed with how things went at Chelsea, and while he wasn’t the only underperforming player in blue, based on previous standards, his lull in form was alarming. It’s something he must put behind him as quickly as possible.

A summer tournament will be a big chance to do exactly that, with the whole of Europe’s eyes fixed on the competition in France. With the armband on and a lot of expectations on this Belgium team, some strong performances from Hazard would reaffirm his status as one of the most gifted footballers on the continent.