According to The Sun, Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach playmaker Thorgan Hazard in the summer, with reports claiming that the 25-year-old might head for the exit door at his current club come the end of the season.
A former youth player at Chelsea, Hazard has been linked with a return to the Premier League for quite some time now and has been on the radar of several top clubs in England, including Arsenal and Liverpool. (h/t Sun)
The Sun claims that Hazard has refused to sign a new contract at Monchengladbach and is looking to force through a £35million switch to Borussia Dortmund in the summer. That, however, has also put Arsenal and Liverpool on red alert, as the Premier League duo look to complete an audacious hijack to bring the Belgian international back to English football.
Hazard has been in blistering form for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga this season, scoring 9 goals and assisting a further 9 from 29 league appearances. Currently in his fifth season at Monchengladbach, the 25-year-old has established himself as one of the highly-profile creative players in the German top flight, registering a total of 45 goals and 43 assists from 178 appearances in all competitions.
To put things into perspective, a versatile and immensely-creative player like Hazard would be an excellent signing for both the aforementioned clubs.
While Liverpool can look at him as the perfect man to feed the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah with his incisive passing and remarkable vision, he would also be a tailor-made fit for Unai Emery’s system at north London.
However, the Gunners should aim to have the final say in this transfer saga and beat off competition from Anfield as a player like Hazard can prove to be an invaluable asset to the team.
Hazard has averaged 2.2 dribbles, 2.3 key passes, 2.4 shots, 1.5 crosses, 1.6 long balls and 1.6 tackles per game in the Bundesliga this season, figures which speak volumes of his well-rounded attributes as a versatile creative midfielder.
Adept at playing out wide on either flank and in a No.10 role behind the striker, Hazard is also very much capable of filling in as a central midfielder, owing to his impressive range of passing and ball retention skills.
However, Arsenal should focus more on his creativity, vision, dribbling and goalscoring prowess in the final third if they are genuinely interested in him.
A technically-gifted player blessed with quick feet, a bagful of trickery and plenty of quality on the ball, Hazard not only has the speed of thought and the vision to see his teammates in space a split second earlier than the opposition but he has the necessary skill set to execute defence-splitting through balls as well.
Noted for his exceptional close control, intricate first touch and good body balance, Hazard is a very mobile player who keeps changing positions throughout the ninety minutes to unsettle the opposition, while also having the ability to create his own space with clever turns.
Furthermore, he is a very lively and energetic presence in the midfield who tends to cover every blade of grass on the pitch.
Given that Henrikh Mkhitaryan has not lived up to the expectations and Mesut Ozil has only played a bit-part role in the first team, Arsenal should start looking at Thorgan Hazard to take them to greater heights. The Gunners need to offload both, or at least one of their big-earning playmakers, to free up space for the Belgian.
To add to that, Hazard’s versatility to play in multiple positions should allow Arsenal to look at him an upgrade on Alex Iwobi on the left, while he can also be considered as somewhat of a more attacking replacement for Aaron Ramsey.
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Having said that, the Gunners should go all out in their pursuit of the Bundesliga ace in the summer.