Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has claimed that his side are the best team in London.
The Blues finished the Premier League season in third place a point above rivals Tottenham Hotspur, while Arsenal finished in fifth.
Spurs found themselves above Chelsea in the table for a large part of the season but were unable to retain third spot when they could only draw with Everton on the final day.
Hazard admitted that his side are way behind Manchester City and Chelsea after finishing 26 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Belgian has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the summer with Real Madrid said to be leading the race for his signature (The Sun).
While Hazard has convinced himself that Chelsea are the capital’s premier side, they will be playing in the Europa League final while Spurs look to become Champions of Europe when they face Liverpool in the final.
If Hazard was to depart Chelsea, it would certainly make their place in the top four vulnerable next season, especially with the current ruling that they are banned from signing players during the next two transfer windows until the end of January 2020 (BBC).
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Hazard told the official Chelsea site when asked to give Chelsea’s season a rating out of 10, he said: “Now it’s like six-and-a-half. If we win in Baku, it is going to be maybe a seven-and-a-half.
“When you look at the season, (Manchester City and Liverpool) are far better than us. If we want to compete with them next season, we need to do it better. It’s that simple. We need to win games in football – if you don’t, you’re in trouble.
“How can we bridge the gap if the transfer ban remains in place? I think if we can keep the same philosophy as this season, keep playing football like we tried to do it this season but in a better way, that’s it.”
“We are the best team in London, I have no doubt about that. But the league is so competitive,” he added.
“To be in the top four in the Premier League is very hard. We have achieved this, we worked all together during the season.
“We did a great job. Could it have been better? Of course, but at the end the target is to be in the top four and we are.”
Hazard’s comments may have antagonised Spurs fans in recent years, but there is no doubt under Mauricio Pochettino the club have bigger things to focus on than some silly comments from a player who probably won’t even be playing in the Premier League next season.
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