Hakim Ziyech’s arrival to Stamford Bridge transfer hasn’t panned out as expected so far. The Moroccan is being linked with an exit already, but he continues to have the backing of manager Thomas Tuchel regardless.
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has shut down rumors linking Hakim Ziyech to an exit. The Moroccan joined the Blues in July 2020 but hasn’t hit the heights he did at Ajax so far, leading to him becoming an incredibly polarising figure within the fanbase.
Nonetheless, the attacker continues to have the backing of his manager, who believes that injuries, rather than poor performances, have hampered Ziyech’s progress at Chelsea.
In his pre-match press conference, the German also confirmed that the club has no plans of letting go of Ziyech in the upcoming January transfer window, which includes swap deals with other clubs.
“He had an injury which was a huge setback. He played after the shoulder injury with pain and with huge protection which kept him from being totally free, which is necessary for his game and movements and position and style of play.
“Now he’s stepped up in the last games. We had some injuries and he took the chance to have more game time like Callum did. He was decisive. He assisted, he scored, it’s good.
“At the moment here in Cobham, there are no thoughts about his future. There are no thoughts about a potential change, swap deal, or whatever in winter.”
Tuchel said.
Recent reports claimed that Ziyech is the subject of interest from Borussia Dortmund. The German giants believe they can take the Moroccan away from Chelsea amid his fleeting game-time and lack of first-team action.
It is understood that any potential deal taking Ziyech to Germany in winter would be in the form of a loan. Whether Chelsea accepts the offer or not remains to be seen, although Tuchel’s recent comments indicate that the chances of that happening are quite low.
Ziyech has scored just eight times for Chelsea since his big-money move from Ajax. Nonetheless, he has netted some important goals for the Blues, including ones in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.
