Eden Hazard believes Jose Mourinho might live to regret selling Kevin de Bruyne, a player he feels would have succeeded at Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge club signed de Bruyne from Genk in the winter of 2012 for a fee of £7million, but immediately loaned him back to his former club so he could continue to get regular first team football. He then spent the 2012-13 campaign at Werder Bremen, before Mourinho recalled him upon his return to the capital club.
Although de Bruyne featured in the first game of last season for the Blues, he made just three Premier League appearances in all. And when Wolfsburg came knocking with an offer of £18million in the January transfer window, Mourinho made the decision to sell the 23-year-old; something Hazard believes the Portuguese may live to regret.
“He is a great player,” Hazard told L’Equipe of his Belgian compatriot. “Mourinho decided to let him go and not play him. It was not my decision, even though I know very well that he could play at Chelsea because he has tremendous qualities. I think at Chelsea, you have more pressure than Wolfsburg. It’s a shame he’s gone but he’ll have a successful career.”
De Bruyne scored three goals in 16 Bundesliga outings last season, and has nine in 26 this term as well as contributing an impressive 17 assists. Such form has resulted in speculation linking him with a return to England, with both Manchester clubs thought to be interested in a player who is under contract until 2019 and now valued at around £30million.
Meanwhile, John Terry has revealed his ambition to add more trophies to Chelsea’s honours list after agreeing a new one-year contract. The 34-year-old defender has already helped the Blues to 13 major pieces of silverware, and he told the official club website: “That’s a massive part of why I’m staying. I want to win trophies. I want to remain in the side, of course, and for me to get to 14 (trophies), 15, that’s my target.”
