German football expert Honigstein says that Pulisic is not a replacement for Hazard
Chelsea have not signed Christian Pulisic as a like-for-like replacement for Eden Hazard, claims German football expert Raphael Honigstein. Hazard has 18 months remaining on his current contract and has openly discussed his desire of winning the Ballon d’Or by making a dream move to Real Madrid.
Chelsea officially announced the €64 million signing of Christian Pulisic on their website on Wednesday. However, Honigstein is of the opinion that the acquisition of Pulisic doesn’t have anything to do with the Belgian’s future at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m not sure what this means for Hazard but he is not, at least not in my mind, a direct replacement,” he said.
“He can play in the same positions of course but he is not going to add those goals necessarily.
“He will provide plenty of assists and keep the ball, but I don’t see him filling the role that Hazard has – basically becoming both Chelsea’s playmaker and major goalscorer in the absence of a more prolific centre forward. I think we have to look at this move in isolation.”
“I don’t think it necessarily changes anything about the Hazard situation. The way I understand it is that both him and Chelsea are waiting for Real Madrid to make the move.
“Until Real Madrid have decided that Hazard is going to be our next superstar and say ‘we want him, no one else and here is the money’, nothing will move.
“I don’t think, or have heard anything on the contrary, that Real Madrid have ever done that. That is why we see this flip-flopping from Hazard.
“One day he says he wants to stay, the other day he says he might leave. I don’t think he himself knows right now because there is not an offer on the table.”
