Should Aston Villa sign Eden Hazard?

The transfer window may still be around two months away, but the Aston Villa rumour mill never stops.

A string of players have been linked to Villa since Unai Emery’s arrival, with multiple reports stating the club could make a surprise move for Eden Hazard. But would bringing Hazard to Villa make sense? Let’s examine the case for and against a potential deal.

The initial reaction to these rumours from Villa fans has been one of apprehension, which is understandable given the Belgian’s disappointing spell at Real Madrid. However, the underlying numbers from his time in Spain suggest Hazard isn’t done.

Despite his lack of success at Real Madrid, Hazard still draws favourable comparisons to some of Europe’s best players based on his statistics over the last year.

According to fbref.com, Hazard’s closest statistical comparisons include Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Vinicius Junior, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Luiz Diaz and Ousmane Dembele. Not a bad list.

Among his positional peers in the ‘Big 5’ European leagues over the last year, Hazard ranks:

• In the 99th percentile for touches in the penalty area
• 99th percentile for pass completion percentage
• 97th percentile for shot-creating actions
• 94th percentile for dribbles completed
• 78th percentile for expected assisted goals.

Villa is going to need to sign at least one winger in January, if not more, and if Hazard could get a run of games, he may rediscover his old form.

Unfortunately, getting a run of games has been a real challenge for Hazard, particularly because of injuries, and that brings us to the first argument against a transfer: Hazard has been injured a ridiculous amount.

The former Chelsea star has missed 72 (yes, seventy-two) games during his time at Real Madrid due to injury, according to Transfermarkt. It has been one problem after another for Hazard, and that alone could give Villa enough reason to steer clear.

Another issue which goes hand in hand with Hazard’s injury woes is his age. He turns 32 in January. It’s hard to imagine Villa forking any kind of significant transfer fee to sign someone of that age with such a lengthy injury history.

A move for Hazard would also resemble the acquisition of Phillippe Coutinho, and that hasn’t exactly panned out so far. Would Villa be signing another fading star who will attract headlines whether he is starting or not? Would they be adding another player who is difficult to drop, regardless of form?

So, should Villa do a deal for Hazard? It depends. If Real Madrid are happy to essentially give him away for next to nothing and Hazard accepts an 18-monyh contract which fits in Villa’s wage structure, then go ahead.

That seems unlikely though, and Villa have arguably signed too many older players in recent windows as it is. They’d probably be better off looking for a younger option who they can mould and improve.

So, ultimately, the answer to the question: “Should Aston Villa sign Eden Hazard” is… probably not. Any deal would have to be on extremely favourable terms for it to make sense. However, it’s not a completely outrageous idea and there are certainly some indicators that Hazard isn’t finished yet.