{"id":1201848,"date":"2021-04-27T18:12:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T17:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1201848"},"modified":"2022-09-19T10:44:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T09:44:09","slug":"eden-hazard-arsenal-chelsea-lille-move","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/eden-hazard-arsenal-chelsea-lille-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Eden Hazard wanted to join Arsenal instead of Chelsea but I vetoed the move, says former agent"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the summer of 2012 Eden Hazard completed a \u00a332m move from Lille to Chelsea, but the current Real Madrid star’s preference was Arsenal according to his former agent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hazard, 30, sealed the lucrative move to Stamford Bridge after establishing himself as one of Ligue 1’s most talented forwards, which culminated in Lille sealing an unexpected Ligue 1 triumph in 2010\/11 and secured the Belgian a Ligue 1 Player of the Year award, becoming the youngest player to win the accolade in the process.<\/p>\n

Such was Hazard’s burgeoning reputation at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, that every elite club worth their salt were being touted as a possible destination for the silky winger, not least the Premier League’s so-called ‘Big Six’, with Arsenal and Tottenham thought to have been at the front of the queue nearly a decade ago.<\/p>\n

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Instead Hazard opted for west London, and he would ultimately go on to reach stratospheric heights in the blue of Chelsea, breaking records left, right and centre, and enjoying a medal-hoovering seven years in the capital, clinching two Premier League titles and two Europa League medals in that time.<\/p>\n

However, that tale could have been entirely different if comments made by Hazard’s former representative, John Bico, are anything to go by, with the player’s ex-agent revealing his client — and his family — were eager on a move to the Emirates, but their desires ultimately fell on deaf ears.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to DH<\/a><\/em> about Hazard\u2019s career, he said: “<\/span>It was his number one choice [Arsenal]. His father\u2019s number one choice too. But for me, it was a categorical refusal even if I really liked the club, its history.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept, that at the time, there were too many young people and too many French people. It would have been a little like Lille.<\/p>\n

Did Eden accepted this veto? Hardly, but he did. Arsenal would have been a decision of the heart but not that of a man even if it costs me to say that.<\/p>\n

“With the environment there, I\u2019m not sure he would have reached the same maturity as a man but also as a player.”<\/p>\n

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