Are Eden Hazard's Gains Chelsea's Long-Term Loss?

The question we're asking right now is whether we're seeing the start of something special at Chelsea. Have Antonio Conte's side transformed themselves from mid-table failures to genuine title contenders?

Since the manager introduced his 3-4-3 system, the Blues have yet to concede a Premier League goal in four matches. That's a run of form that stretches throughout all of October; if we include the goalless second half of their 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in September, it accounts for over six-and-a-half hours since the Chelsea goal was last breached.

In that same period, the Blues have scored 11 times, picking up 12 points from a possible 12 to put them back among the leading pack. As we enter November, Chelsea are just one point off the top of the table and look well positioned in fourth spot. Things are progressing nicely.

Chelsea fans shouldn't be getting carried away. They have good reason for feeling cheerful about what the future holds under Conte's leadership, but there are dark clouds potentially forming over the hills.

Here's another question that is rather pertinent for Chelsea right now: is what we're seeing the beginning of the end for Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge?

"I don’t want to finish on a season like [2015/16]," Hazard told Telefoot in an interview this summer (per The Independent's Simon Rice). "I left Lille [in 2012] as a boss and I’d like to leave Chelsea as a boss."

Hazard was sure to add at the end the caveat "if I do leave one day," yet given how unsettled he has seemed in the past 12 months, it didn't breed confidence in his desire to remain for the long term. He then added a little more doubt: "For the time being, I am here."

If we read between the lines, it's not difficult to make a case for him planning his future away from Stamford Bridge. Hazard wasn't suggesting it either way, but the fact he didn't categorically pin his colours to the mast in the summer will inevitably raise doubts.

In a roundabout way, that Hazard is now bossing it at Chelsea should also get Blues fans worried.

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The Belgian's form has been impeccable this season. With five goals already to his name in the Premier League, he has nine in last 15 league outings if we include how he finished 2015/16 on a scoring high. Hazard's reputation is gradually being restored—there's a sense he can be trusted again—and based on his outlook with Telefoot, should his form continue, there will be no unfinished business in west London.

That was the point he was making, after all. Hazard had done everything he could with Lille before he joined Chelsea in 2012. He was a French champion and had helped take the club as far as it could go. In all reality, Lille were not going to be threatening for titles consistently, nor were they going to be making a big splash in Europe. Hazard had earned the right to sample something bigger in order to quench his thirst, which Chelsea have provided.

Four years on from his move to England, it makes sense that he may be getting itchy feet. As one of the most in-demand footballers in the world, Hazard knows he is in a position of extreme power. Should he come on to the market any time soon, he will have his pick of the clubs. Whether it be Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, they will all be interested and champing at the bit to get him.

He has talents that come at a premium, and Hazard knows it. As modest as he may seem—labels about his ranking on the world stage have never sat comfortably—the Belgian is confident in his own abilities. And that means a desire to perform at a club where success is all but guaranteed.

That may have once been the case at Chelsea, but it isn't anymore. Hazard has won the Premier League and League Cup in the club's colours, adding to his success in the 2013 Europa League. But still Chelsea lack the same weight as Europe's traditional elite. For one, they're not even in Europe at all this season.

Chelsea are in a state of flux, which isn't good news for players in Hazard's position.

As he reaches the peak years of his career, he won't be wanting to hang around in the hope that Chelsea may get their act back together. When he sees Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi taking all the plaudits—and trophies—he knows any sense of greatness that follows him will be based on the same principles that have defined them.

And besides, with one more shining season at Stamford Bridge, what else will he owe Chelsea? The answer is nothing. Hazard's a professional, and if he can get the Blues back into the Champions League this season, he will have served his duties. He can leave with his conscience clean; he can leave as a boss.

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That's where the quotes from last summer all stemmed from. To flee a sinking ship is a sin many struggle to forgive in football. Hazard was complicit to Chelsea's downfall last year, and like the rest of his team-mates, the time wasn't right for him to depart—even if the bids from potential suitors weren't forthcoming.

Chelsea have become Lille to him, though. Where else can he go with this team? Chelsea fans would like to think all the way, yet for Hazard, there are potentially more exciting times ahead for him on a personal level. He can waltz into a ready-made team that is primed to deliver now. Hitting those same levels for Chelsea this season that we have seen from him before will put Hazard back into that sort of conversation.

The problem is, Conte is building his team around Hazard. Make no mistake, as much as the 3-4-3 we are seeing now is geared to plug the leaking holes we saw in Chelsea's defence, it is just as much about getting the front men flowing and scoring the goals that win football matches. It's worked for Diego Costa, and Hazard is now benefiting.

Conte has given him the role he craved through the middle. We're beginning to see Hazard play as the furthest man forward in Chelsea's games, playing off Costa's willingness to work the line in the way tradition dictates a striker should.

Now Hazard is worrying about attacking players and not defending against his opposite number. He is being utilised in a system that celebrates his attributes, not nullifies them.

Losing Hazard would be bad news indeed for Conte. Regardless of the millions the Belgian's sale may well bring in to the club, the money would essentially be worthless. To get another like him, Chelsea will have to pay just as much. It would be a false economy, replacing like for like without the same guarantees Hazard brings.

But where does Conte go from here? Hazard's form is strengthening the manager's position at his new club, although in the long term, it may well be creating an even bigger problem than those he inherited.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes