Denis Zakaria, who joined Stamford Bridge on loan from Juventus on deadline day, has yet to play a single game for the Blues and hasn’t even been selected for any Premier League teams so far this season.
Although the Swiss midfielder has stated that he is willing to participate and that there are no doubts about his physical fitness since “I believe in myself 100%,” it appears that the problem is more technical.
Thomas Tuchel requested the signing of Zakaria, but Graham Potter, the team’s new manager, has not been a fan of the midfielder who has been dubbed “the Octopus” by his teammates.
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Zakaria hasn’t been included in matchday squads, according to reports, because the Blues are already considering how to end the loan arrangement in January.
The 25-year-old had already made two Serie A appearances for the Turin team this season prior to joining the Blues, and according to UEFA regulations, a player is only permitted to play for two clubs in the same season.
Therefore, if he played for Chelsea, he would be unable to sign with any club on loan beginning in January, which could hurt Juventus’ prospects of agreeing to end the loan as the midfielder is obviously no longer needed under Max Allegri.
In place of Zakaria, a young midfielder named Carney Chukwuemeka made his debut against Wolves. This is unfortunate for both the midfielder and Switzerland, who will have a player who isn’t match-ready join their World Cup team in a month.