Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes midfielder Eden Hazard is worth at least three times more than what he was when the club signed him from French side Lille, after he claims he has turned him into a modern professional.
When Mourinho took the reigns at Stamford Bridge for the second-time, he was very open about all of his players, and he admitted that Hazard was a terrible trainer and that was stopping his progression as a footballer.
However, halfway through the season and being the club’s top goalscorer for the campaign, Mourinho finally believes that he is turning the Belgium into the player he could be.
The Blues brought Hazard from Lille for roughly around £32million, and Mourinho is adamant that he is now worth at least three times that.
“I’m not worried about Eden. If he was worth around £32m when Chelsea bought him – and he’s two or three times better than that now – then his market value is crazy. But we are not interested in selling him. There is no chance of him going.
“Eden’s progress has been good. He was known as one of the worst trainers at the club but he has become a good professional.
“He was known for having lots of quality, but without that culture of knowing how to defend as part of a team, but he has improved in every aspect.
“He works very hard for the team now. He’s the kind of player we want.
“It has been a fantastic evolution. But it wasn’t hard to change. He’s very strong physically, has fantastic stamina and speed. It was more a mental thing, it just needed to click with him.
“When I came he was always laughing, smiling and joking with the others, so there was not top concentration. But we had some conversations. I demanded more, showed him the right way. ”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
