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Tuesday Kickoff: Hazard set for pay raise; Arsenal in defensive crisis; and more

Eden Hazard of Chelsea

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Eden Hazard could be on the verge of earning a hefty pay raise.

According to multiple reports in England, Chelsea are set to give the French winger a new five-year contract that would make him the highest paid player in the squad, with reported wages of £10.4 million per year. That would put him above new signings Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, and Thibaut Courtois’ new contract number.

Paris Saint-Germain were very interested in signing Hazard over the summer but Chelsea were able to ward off any reported offers. This new deal is seen as a way to entice the 23-year-old to remain at Stamford Bridge.

Hazard has already scored one goal in four games for the Blues this season, and is coming off a season where he scored 14 English Premier League goals, the highest total on the team.

Here are some more stories to start off your morning:

ARSENAL FACING DEFENSIVE CRISIS 

Arsene Wenger’s failure to bring in a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen has left the team with only three fit defenders heading into their UEFA Champions League group stage opener at Borussia Dortmund.

Nacho Monreal has been left back home in London while Calum Chambers has a 50 percent chance of playing due to tonsilitus, leaving Wenger with just Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, and Kieran Gibbs as available first team defenders. If Chambers is unable to play, Wenger will likely turn to either holding midfielder Mathieu Flamini or Spanish speedster Hector Bellerin.

Arsenal are partially shorthanded after a serious ankle injury to new right back signing Mathieu Debuchy, which will keep him out for eight-to-12 weeks.

REAL MADRID WITHOUT KHEDIRA, CARVAJAL

Coming off a disappointing loss to their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid’s defensive issues will be compounded in the UEFA Champions League.

Los Blancos begin their defense of the Champions League on Tuesday with a home match against FC Basel, but Real Madrid will be without defensive midfield stalwart Sami Khedira and right back Dani Carvajal. Without the pair, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos struggled at times to cover defensively, and Alvaro Arbeloa played just 77 minutes before being subbed out for Raphael Varane.

Khedira is out with a left thigh injury, while Dani Carvajal misses time with an injury to his left hamstring.

QUICK KICKS

Everton have selected nearby Walton Hall Park as the site for their proposed new £200 million stadium. (REPORT)

AZ Alkmaar coach Marco Van Basten has stepped down and will remain as an assistant coach after taking some time away to deal with heart problems. (REPORT)

Schalke 04’s Bendikt Howedes has been ruled out of his club’s UEFA Champions League match with Chelsea due to a partial tear in his groin. (REPORT)

Serge Aurier is back in the PSG squad after suffering a head injury while on international duty with the Ivory Coast. (REPORT)

A goal from former Sunderland forward Ignacio Scocco was the difference as Newell’s Old Boys topped Olimpio, 1-0. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Hazard remaining at Chelsea long-term? How much do you expect Arsenal to struggle defensively? How impactful is Khedira’s loss to Real Madrid?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Really, Hazard is French? Odd that France didn’t use him after Ribery’s injury this summer. Wait – what’s that – he’s Belgian. Ah – close enough. Seriously – does anyone look at these “articles” before they get posted?

    Reply
    • Between “tonsilitus” and Hazard being French, they should just delete this article and try again. Come on Ives, you need to tighten up this ship.

      Reply
      • Yep, the writing standards have gone down significantly. I could care less that they spelled “tonsilitus,” but calling Hazard a French winger is pretty bad even for a blog.

      • it’s classic Dan Karell. i honestly think he does it on purpose. this guy is the, “Managing Editor/Staff Writer with Soccer By Ives,” yet has issues like this in every article he puts out. i’d also say they hardly ever get fixed. still says French and “Tonsilitus”.

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