Hazard, 27, hinted that his time at Chelsea could be coming to an end after the World Cup when he said he wanted to “discover something different,” with rumours of a move to Real Madrid circling.
But he has now pledged his commitment to Chelsea for the foreseeable future.
“Everybody knows what I have said after the World Cup. But I’m happy here,” he told RMC Sport after the 3-2 win over Arsenal. “A lot has been said. A lot of stupidity too. But at the moment I’m happy.
“I have two years left on my contract and we’ll see what happens. Leaving this year? I won’t go. The transfer market in England is closed. Clubs can still sell players, but not sign new ones anymore. It would be a bit strange that they would sell me now while they can’t sign a replacement.
“We could see today that fans love me. I’m fine here. We’ll see what happens in a year or two.”
Hazard joined Chelsea from Lille in 2012, with his contract expiring in the summer of 2020.
The club have been in talks over a new contract worth a reported £300,000-a-week but the forward has yet to agree terms.
Hazard primarily plays as either an attacking midfielder or a winger and has been credited as being “possibly the outstanding talent in Europe right now”. At Lille under former manager Rudi Garcia, Hazard often played in the latter role in the team’s 4–3–3 formation and regularly switched flanks because he could use both feet. Following the departures of fellow play-makers Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho in 2011, during the 2011–12 season, Garcia played Hazard in a creative role as a central attacking midfielder, while also allowing the player to roam back onto the wing if necessary. Two of Hazard’s most common exemplary traits are his pace and technical ability, which have been described as “astonishing” and “mesmerizing”.
At Chelsea, Hazard matured into a world class player and was primarily utilised as a left midfielder. His development into one of the world’s best players was highlighted in the 2014–15 Season; during this season he won multiple awards and received praise from pundits and manager alike. Manager Jose Mourinho praised Hazard, saying that “He is already a top player and his evolution has been fantastic. He is still very young and he can become the best player in the world.” Hazard’s former teammate and Lille captain Rio Mavuba described Hazard as “a great player, with an immense talent. He’s actually not that big, but he’s so fast. He’s also very difficult to dispossess and his finishing is top notch”