Real Madrid News
Real Madrid flop will depart in the summer, club staff has no faith in the player – report
A recent report from Sergio Gomez has offered detailed insights on Eden Hazard’s status at Real Madrid.
The Belgian international has endured a difficult spell at Santiago Bernabeu, having struggled with both form and fitness. Real Madrid have played 17,020 minutes of official football since the forward joined the club, but he has played only 3,573 of them.
This is just a bit more than 20% participation in games for a player who cost Real Madrid a figure of around €115 million.
Hazard has indeed faced criticism for his form and poor performances at Bernabeu, while his time at the club have been plagued by never-ending injury problems. The report indicates that these fitness issues have served to sap him of his confidence, stopping the Belgian from making an impact.
Hazard’s status in the team has dwindled under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian manager has continued to rely on the services of players such as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Marco Asensio. As such, Hazard has only featured in 98 minutes of league football this term.
Recent reports suggest that Hazard is determined to right the wrongs at Real Madrid after announcing his retirement from international football. But he is yet to shine still.
As per Sergio Gomez, the Real Madrid camp remains favourable to Hazard because of his character and the hard work he puts into training. But no one at Valdebebas has any faith that the Belgian will be able to turn his fortunes around and finally make a mark at the Bernabeu.
With that in mind, Hazard looks set to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2023, keeping in mind that his contract at the club expires in 2024. A sale at the end of the season, therefore, will give the Whites the opportunity to recoup some of the investment they had made in 2019.
However, given the winger’s struggles in La Liga, it remains to be seen if the player manages to attract top European clubs in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
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