Graham Potter has explained the absence of Hakim Ziyech from his Chelsea side before the break and why he will be missing for the return of Premier League football next week. The Moroccan winger was one of Walid Regragui's star players in Qatar and helped them to a historic semi-final before losing to France, ending up fourth after being beaten by Croatia in the third place play-off.
For Ziyech it was a demonstration once more of the quality that he possesses, though that has been missing far too often since he joined Chelsea in 2020. The 29-year-old has fallen to the bottom of the pile for Graham Potter in attack after Thomas Tuchel also struggled to get the best out of him over 18 months.
His ability to create and make the most of magic moments was one of the standout reasons that Chelsea splashed out on him under Frank Lampard but those brief clips of skill have been far too brief in London.
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Such was his standing, Ziyech nearly left in the summer with AC Milan and former club Ajax both interested in taking him but nothing was agreed. In the league, he started just one of the six matches Tuchel was in charge of and is yet to play from the beginning under Potter.
With January just around the corner, there is an expectancy that his departure will be revisited again, and there's also a chance he has played his last game in a Chelsea shirt with Potter ruling him out of their next match, against Bournemouth on December 27.
Speaking ahead of the match Potter explained Ziyech's situation. "He played against Man City, came on against Newcastle," the boss said. "Where he was at when we first came, he was a little bit away from the first XI. He's been involved in the games and came on in the first game as a sub.
"We know his qualities, we like him as a player, he plays between the lines with fantastic quality as we saw in the World Cup. At Chelsea there are always good players who aren't in the starting XI and have to be patient. Delighted for him, kept in touch with him over the World Cup. Delighted for him that he got the same time, delighted for him that he helped his team, he's a good guy and he's got quality."
Bournemouth is the only game before the winter window opens, meaning that Ziyech could leave in the near future. However, Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that his wage demands are 'absolutely out of the boundaries.' Although pre-existing interest is there, Milan would prefer to put the money towards Rafael Leao's new contract, which Chelsea are ironically hoping he won't sign as they bid to sign the Portugal forward.
Having played back to his best in Qatar, Ziyech is now in place to demand more than he was before and that could damage his attempts to leave Chelsea. The January transfer merry-go-round already looks set to be underway and Ziyech could be a man at the centre of a storm as the window goes on.
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