With Christian Pulisic’s transfer to Chelsea moving forward this summer, Borussia Dortmund have wasted no time in securing new signings to help fill the void left by the American’s impending departure. While these signings include the likes of Bundesliga stars Julian Brandt and Nico Schulz, another signing has also managed to make headlines in the form of Borussia Monchengladbach star Thorgan Hazard.
Of course, it is also worth mentioning that the 26-year-old attacking midfielder is the younger brother of Real Madrid star Eden Hazard. Because they are brothers and both play in the same position, it is hard not to make comparisons between the two. However, there are a number of reasons why Thorgan Hazard is more than just Eden’s little brother. So let’s go into them now…
He Has Come into His Own
With older brother Eden being one of the top scorers in the Premier League last season, many have wondered whether Thorgan could live up to his potential and step out of his brother’s shadow. Yet, an article from The Guardian suggests that he is already on his way, even advocating that Chelsea should’ve sign him as a replacement for his brother.
In terms of stats, Thorgan’s shot conversion rate last season was 20.5% as opposed to his brother’s 18.5%. Furthermore, Thorgan has also demonstrated the ability to take on defensive duties as well; something his brother rarely did during his time with Chelsea. Though the younger Hazard isn’t yet at the level of his brother, past performances suggest it could only be a matter of time before the world stands up and notices the younger brother.
His Importance to Monchengladbach
Although he only made 7 out of 28 starts during his first season with Monchengladbach, Thorgan still managed to set up 7 goals, amounting to roughly one assist every 129 minutes. Over time, his playing time started to increase, along with key statistics like the average number of goals and key passes per game. In fact, a bwin Monchengladbach vs. Dortmund Match Preview post, even notes how Thorgan Hazard was among the top scorers in the Bundesliga last season. Thorgan played an integral part in Monchengladbach’s season, and with them only paying £7.2m for him, he proved a bargain.
What This Means for Dortmund
His move to Dortmund has proved much costlier with Deutsche Welle detailing how he is one of their marquee signings this summer. They’ve supposedly paid between €25-30 million (£22.1-26.5 million) for him. As a result, Hazard is expected to feature heavily alongside the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jacob Bruun Larsen.
If his recent form is anything to go by, Hazard will play a pivotal role in helping Dortmund unseat Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga. Whether he can do this remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Thorgan Hazard is set to make a name for himself this season as one of Dortmund’s leading lights.
