Antonio Conte wants Chelsea to wrap up deals for Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois before the Belgians star at next summer’s World Cup.
The Blues’ Belgian duo will pose England their greatest danger at the World Cup, but by the time the tournament comes around, Courtois will have only one year left on his contract, while Hazard will have two years remaining on his current deal.
Both Hazard and Courtois have been linked with Real Madrid in recent years and the La Liga giants will be keeping a close eye on their performances in Russia. With speculations swirling, Conte has warned the Chelsea board to prioritise extending their deals.
After Hazard capped off another dominant display by scoring a brace as Chelsea beat Newcastle 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Conte wants things to be sorted out as soon as possible.
“Yes, I want them to sign new deals. You are talking about two great players,” Conte was quoted in a report by Express.
“Thibaut is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Maybe the best, and then there is Eden. The club knows the importance of these two players and they are happy to play for this club.
“I will be very happy when they can have this deal. These two are great players because they have a lot of space for improvement. They are very young and it will be great to keep them with us, he said.
The Italian added:
“It is normal during the season to have the contact between the player – or the agent of the player – and the club. I hope that at the end, Thibaut will sign his contract. The World Cup is the best tournament in the world. You can show your skills and show that you are a top player.”
Hazard has rediscovered his best form since recuperating from the broken ankle that sidelined him from June until September, and Saturday’s brace against Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle took his tally to 8 goals and 3 assists in his last 10 Chelsea appearances across all competitions.
Though the Belgian international is considered one of the best players playing in the Premier League, Conte insisted that Hazard is capable of scaling even greater heights.
“I don’t think that Eden is at the peak of his career,” said the Chelsea manager.
“He has a lot of improvement to make. He is young and it is important for him to work, work, work to improve himself.
“You are at the top when you win the Ballon d’Or the first time, when you win the Champions League, when you win the World Cup. At that moment you are at the top of the world – a great player,” Conte further added.
Our next Premier League assignment is an away trip to strugglers West Ham, who lost to Manchester City on Sunday. Let’s hope Hazard continues his fine form.