“I have talked to nobody” – Thomas Tuchel breaks silence on rumors linking Chelsea star with potential exit
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has cleared the air on the transfer speculation surrounding Hakim Ziyech. He stressed the club feels totally committed to his contract and intends to hold on to the winger.
The Moroccan was signed in the summer of 2020 following outstanding performances with Ajax. Ziyech featured prominently as the Ajax side reached the Champions League semi-finals, leading Chelsea to snap him up from the Amsterdam-based club.
Ziyech is one game away from 50 appearances for the Blues but has never been able to play a crucial role in the team.
Chelsea’s embarrassment of riches in attacking positions has made it harder for him to feature consistently. Moreover, his injury problems have haunted his stint at Stamford Bridge.
This campaign, the Moroccan featured more prominently for the club in pre-season. However, he lost his rhythm and minutes in the squad after injuring his shoulder in the UEFA Super Cup final against Villarreal.
Chelsea goalscorer Hakim Ziyech is forced out of the UEFA Super Cup with a shoulder injury. https://t.co/4NDL1zSy4W
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has moved to confirm that Ziyech is integral to his plans. Despite not playing the Moroccan all the time, the winger, linked with a move away from Chelsea, is expected to stay. Tuchel said:
“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 the winter. I have talked to nobody about that here in Cobham."
He further added:
“Hakim was not in my office expressing a wish like this so right now, he is a full member of the squad. He is an important guy, a very talented guy, a very ambitious guy, and he’s a full part of our squad. He was last season, he is this season and we expect the very best of him all the time. But it’s tough competition. I cannot let everybody play all the time 90 minutes, it’s simply impossible.”
Thomas Tuchel will be happy with the Moroccan winger's performance after a scintillating assist against Leicester City today.
There are still things to improve: Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel speaks on Leicester game
Despite an impressive display against the Foxes, Thomas Tuchel still believes there are areas where Chelsea could have done better. Goals from Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic were enough to seal the deal 3-0. However, Tuchel wants to see even more precision from his Chelsea side.
Leicester in the first-half against Chelsea:
◉ Shots = 0
◉ Shots on target = 0
Leicester so far in the second-half against Chelsea:
◉ Shots = 2
◉ Shots on target = 2
Much better from the Foxes. 👌 https://t.co/rx1CE5u0Z0
The Chelsea boss said:
“It was a good performance and we could’ve finished the game earlier. There are still things to improve, decision making and conversion, but it was a mature performance and we needed it. I thought we could be more precise and clinical in the first half because we played with such effort, had ball recoveries, found spaces with the ball, and, of course, a third goal would’ve decided the match almost certainly."