Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has selected himself among the club's all-time greats as he picked his Mount Rushmore of the club's past stats. The diminutive Belgian enjoyed a hugely successful seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge, earning rave reviews worldwide for his talent.
Hazard spoke with SportBible as he prepared for the charity game Match for Hope in Doha, and he was asked to name the players on his Mount Rushmore for Chelsea. The retired forward immediately included the trio of John Terry, Didier Drogba, and Frank Lampard before adding his name to the list.
"JT. Captain, you know, the leader. Drogba. King, you know, has to be there, Frank Lampard, top scorer, and myself. Good group of 4, no?", he said (via @sportbible on Instagram).
Eden Hazard turned down a number of Premier League sides to sign for Chelsea in 2012, and quickly established himself as a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge. He helped the club to win two league titles in his seven years there, as well as two UEFA Europa League trophies. He scored 110 goals and provided 88 assists in 352 appearances in seven years with the Blues.
Hazard's Mount Rushmore includes the club's most iconic captain Terry, who won five Premier League titles as captain of the club. Legendary striker Drogba also enjoyed two fine spells at the club, scoring the goal that won them their first-ever UEFA Champions League crown. Lampard is the club's all-time top scorer as well as their former manager. All four players on Hazard's list have been inducted into the Premier League's Hall of Fame, with the Belgian having been inducted last year.
Chelsea sanction River Plate loan for teenage star: Reports
Chelsea have sanctioned a move to Argentinian giants River Plate for teenage sensation Kendry Paez on loan, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Blues cut short the youngster's loan stint with Strasbourg before opting to send him to Argentina to continue his development in a familiar environment.
The Blues signed Paez from Independiente del Valle aged 16, and he officially moved to the club when he turned 18 last summer. He was sent out to Strasbourg on loan but failed to regularly impress for the Ligue 1 side, making 21 appearances across all competitions and scoring once.
Ecuador international Paez has opted to move elsewhere to further his ambition of playing in the FIFA World Cup this year. He will now remain on the books of River Plate, who have coveted him for a long time, for 18 months.