During an interview with Sky Sports, Harry Redknapp revealed the reason Eden Hazard went to Chelsea and not another London giant in 2012.
While Eden Hazard recovers from a terrible fortune at Real Madrid, it’s time to remember the day in which he nearly didn’t sign with Chelsea FC. During that era, the Belgian star was already getting everyone’s attention from many giant clubs. Real Madrid was on the verge of winning a historic La Liga title and Zidane was only Florentino’s adviser.
Chelsea wasn’t making the Top Four but they had a chance to win the Champions League against Bayern Munich in the final. Then there was Tottenham Hotspur, a club where Harry Redknapp made the transfer decisions at the time.
The legendary English manager has been on top of the most important deals for decades. He was also trying to sign a young Eden Hazard for the Spurs as per Joe Cole’s recommendation. Eden was blowing up in Ligue 1 with Lille. He had many options but the Premier League was his favorite place to go next.
Hazard wanted to play the Champions League.
The plan was very simple. Find an ideal club where he could get minutes, grow as a player, and play the Champions League during the next season. The options were pretty simple that year. It was Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea wasn’t even an option for Eden unless they won the Champions League. That’s what catapulted them as Hazard’s first choice.
Harry Redknapp explains what happened in detail on Sky Sports: “We had seen him (Eden Hazard) at Lille and he was our top target in the summer. He wanted to play Champions League football and we had finished fourth, while Chelsea finished in sixth. But then, Chelsea won the Champions League and took our spot in the competition next season.”
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