MX23RW : Friday, April 19 22:28:19| >> :60:226:226:

Maurizio Sarri still unsure of Eden Hazard's Chelsea future

Maurizio Sarri still unsure of Eden Hazard's Chelsea future
© Reuters
Hazard has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri insists he is still in the dark over Eden Hazard's future.

The forward, who is yet to commit his future to Stamford Bridge, came off the bench in Sunday's 0-0 draw at Leicester on the final day of the Premier League season.

Hazard blew kisses to the travelling fans who called for him to stay after a 22 minute cameo which failed to inspire a victory.

The Belgian was rested with the Europa League final against Arsenal at the end of the month in mind.

Real Madrid continued to be heavily linked with the 28-year-old and Sarri conceded he did not know if Hazard will stay.

He said: "I hope of course, like every fan of Chelsea, that he will remain with us. But at the moment I don't know.

"I know very well that Eden tried to do his best for seven seasons at Chelsea. He did very well, he has become one of the best two or three players in the world, but I think also that we have to respect him and his decision."

Despite finishing third in the Premier League, Chelsea still sat 26 points adrift of champions Manchester City.

Sarri also cast doubt over his own position and could not say for sure if he will be at Stamford Bridge for a second season.

Maurizio Sarri, front left, is unsure over his Chelsea future
Maurizio Sarri, front left, is unsure over his Chelsea future (Mike Egerton/PA)

He added: "I think but I am not sure. I don't know. I can say only the club asked me to get into the Champions League and we reached the target – the Champions League.

"As you know very well, I love English football. I love the Premier League, the level is really the best in the world I think, the atmosphere in the stadiums is wonderful. I like very much to stay here."

Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans wasted a fine opening just before the break when the pair failed to combine properly following David Luiz's slip.

Gonzalo Higuain then missed the best chance of the match when, unmarked, he sidefooted wide from six yards in first-half stoppage time.

Gonzalo Higuain, right, missed a fine chance for the visitors
Gonzalo Higuain, right, missed a fine chance for the visitors (Mike Egerton/PA)

The Foxes finished ninth and boss Brendan Rodgers, who replaced Claude Puel in February, is looking forward to the future.

"There is no waiting in football now, there is no time," he said.

"It was a difficult decision and normally, ideally as a coach or a manager, you don't want to come in until the summer.

"I've had an invaluable period here and that was the reason for coming, seeing the players under pressure for this period of time and seeing if I can influence players to be here for the project going forward."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Nick Mashiter, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'a3bd3cb9-89f4-4705-93f3-0b84c99217d8');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:match-reports,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Maurizio Sarri still unsure of Eden Hazard\u2019s Chelsea future'});

ID:359068: cacheID:359068:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:22374:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri pictured on April 3, 2019
Read Next:
How Chelsea could line up against Leicester
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!