Real Madrid News
Real Madrid flop wanted by MLS outfit, but player wants to fulfil his contract
Eden Hazard has had a terrible time at Real Madrid. Since arriving at the club in 2019 in a deal worth around €120 million, the Belgian winger has managed only 76 appearances and has not crossed the single-digit mark when it comes to his goals and assists tally.
Constant injuries, fitness issues, and poor form have characterized his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. And given that he is the highest-earning member of the team, Los Blancos are keen on offloading him at the end of the current season.
And, as per a report from MARCA, Hazard is generating interest from the MLS where CF Montreal are looking to sign him up this summer.
The MLS outfit’s owner, Joey Saputo, is looking to add more star power to his squad and has identified Hazard as a possible reinforcement for the upcoming transfer window.
However, Hazard has not responded positively to the interest shown by CF Montreal as he wishes to stay at Real Madrid and see out his contract, which expires in 2024.
In an interview in November last year, the 32-year-old had claimed that he would leave the club if he was told to do so. But, now, he has changed that stance and has his sights set on fulfilling the remainder of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, for their part, are hopeful that they can convince Hazard to leave so that they can free up the €30 million salary space he occupies and bring in a new forward like Moussa Diaby.
But, as things stand, the former Belgium captain has shown little interest in leaving even though he has suitors in the MLS as well as Saudi Arabia. Whether the situation changes in the coming weeks remains to be seen.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
