Chelsea boss Antonio Conte determined to secure new deals for Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois before they head to the World Cup

  • Antonio Conte is desperate to get Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois new deals
  • The Belgian duo are two of the most influential players in the Chelsea squad 
  • Conte wants the pair sorted before they head off to next summer's World Cup 

Antonio Conte wants to see Chelsea secure Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois on new contracts before the Belgians head off to tackle England at the World Cup.

Courtois will be into the final year of his deal by the time of next summer's tournament in Russia and reluctant to sign an extension and Hazard will have less than two years remaining.

Real Madrid are long-term admirers and easily swayed by World Cup form, and the Chelsea manager would like to see a breakthrough in negotiations before the end of the season.

Antonio Conte is determined to get a new contract sorted out for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

Antonio Conte is determined to get a new contract sorted out for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

'The club knows very well the importance of these two players,' said Conte. 'I think these two players are very happy to play for this club.


'It is normal during the season to have the contact between the player – or the agent of the player – and the club. I hope that at the end, Thibaut will sign his contract.

'If you ask me about these two players, I will be very happy when they can have this deal but this is the responsibility of the club to try to do this.

'I can give my opinion and for me these two players are two great players especially because they have a lot of space for improvement.

'They are very young players and it will be great to keep them with us.'

Conte hailed 25-year-old Courtois as 'one of the best goalkeepers in the world, maybe the best' but it was Hazard who dazzled in the 3-1 win against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Talisman Eden Hazard is also due a new deal and Conte wants it sorted before the World Cup

Talisman Eden Hazard is also due a new deal and Conte wants it sorted before the World Cup

Dwight Gayle fired the visitors ahead before goals from Hazard and Alvaro Morata gave Chelsea a half-time lead.

Hazard claimed his second - his eighth goal in 10 games - with a Panenka-style penalty on the 69th birthday of Antonin Panenka, the former Czechoslovakia striker who pioneered the crafty dink from 12-yards.

He has now scored more Premier League goals for Chelsea than Gianfranco Zola and his manager believes there is more to come.

'I don't think Eden is at the peak of his career,' said Conte. 'He has a lot of room for improvement. He is a young player and it's important for him to work, work, work in every training session to improve himself and then to have this kind of performance.

'You are at the top when you win the Ballon d'Or the first time, when you win the Champions League, when you win the Word Cup. At that moment you are at the top of the world so you are a great player.

'The World Cup is the best tournament in the world. You can show your abilities and skills and show you are a top player. This is a great chance every great player has to show his ability.'

By next summer's World Cup, Courtois will have entered the final year of his Chelsea deal

By next summer's World Cup, Courtois will have entered the final year of his Chelsea deal

Hazard will be 27 next month and Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez believes he has improved in four-and-a-half years since he was his manager, in interim charge of Chelsea.

'He was already very good but he's more mature and better with his decision-making,' said Benitez. 'When you play a lot of games you learn and you know when you can make the difference and you are aware that you can make a difference.'

Belgium were grouped with England in Friday's World Cup draw which will generate plenty of dressing-room humour in the weeks ahead.

Conte was searching for a diplomatic answer to the question of which nation he might support in Italy's absence when Courtois butted in and yelled: 'Belgium'.

Hazard and Gary Cahill have been teasing each other about their chances of winning Group G and Victor Moses came down to dinner on Friday to find his team-mates in agreement that he would not be in Russia for long.

'We keep getting Argentina,' sighed Moses as Nigeria prepare to face Lionel Messi for the third World Cup in a row.

England, meanwhile, have six months to study Hazard and form a plan to keep him quiet.

Conte has already been at loggerheads with the hierarchy regarding the recruitment of players

Conte has already been at loggerheads with the hierarchy regarding the recruitment of players

'Eden's a world-class player and he's in top form,' said Moses. 'He was doing some amazing stuff on the pitch, stuff to make you think 'wow', even the cheeky little penalty.

'I've never seen him do it before. It's risky but as long as it goes in, that's what matters. He's doing loads of amazing stuff in training. Sometimes he'll just get the ball and put it through your legs without you even knowing.

'He's a great player and we're just happy to have him and we're pleased he's enjoying his football again. Hopefully he carries on the way he is. We want him to keep on scoring goals and improving himself.

'Stopping him is going to be hard for England.' 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.