Eden Hazard recommends left-field option to take Chelsea job who is 'his friend'

Eden Hazard wants Chelsea to appoint Cesc Fabregas despite the former Blues midfielder having no experience as a permanent head coach. Fabregas has been assistant manager at Italian side Como, although was caretaker boss for one month before they appointed Welshman Osian Roberts.

The Spaniard has been taking his first steps into coaching and obtained his UEFA A Licence in 2023. When Como sacked former boss Moreno Longo, Fabregas was given special dispensation by the Italian FA to take charge for a month as he had not gained his UEFA Pro Licence.

Fabregas oversaw a positive run of form, taking Como from seventh to third in Serie B before handing over to Roberts. The duo helped the club win promotion to Serie A at the end of the campaign, and Hazard believes his friend has what it takes to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.

Asked by TalkSPORT if Roberto De Zerbi would be his pick to manage Chelsea, Hazard responded: “Maybe.”

He then said in reference to Fabregas: “I also have my friend in Como, he can be the first manager.”

Hazard has praised Pochettino for the work he did at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian continued: “I was a bit sad [when Pochettino left], to be fair.

“I think he did a great job. I know people want Chelsea to be in the top four but it’s just a season of transition.

“He’s a great manager, I wish him good luck. Let’s see who is going to be there in the future.”

Fabregas recently revealed that he had spent time at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground and had a lengthy chat with Pochettino about football days before the Argentine left by mutual consent. He told the BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast: “I was there actually. Funnily enough I went to London on the weekend.

“First of all I had a good relationship with Mauricio. When we played against them I always felt that he was a really nice guy, a gentleman.

“So I felt they won four games in a row, that was Friday [that he visited], two days before the end of the season, so everything is fun and good and relaxed around the training ground, last game of the season.

“I just popped in and he welcomed me so much. I stayed an hour and a half in his office talking football. Obviously talking to some of the people I know working at the club, I saw some ex-teammates as well.

“So it was really fun and I really enjoyed it and, to be fair, I didn’t have the feeling that this was going to happen. Just looking around, the feeling that you have around the place, I felt that it was nice and easy so I was surprised about the decision.”