The January transfer window was very eventful for Chelsea as they signed a lot of players looking at the future. However the only signing that they messed up in all of this was Hakim Ziyech’s loan deal to join Paris Saint Germain. The club were in agreement and the paperwork was even ready, Ziyech had passed the medicals and yet he is still a Chelsea player after the transfer deadline is over. It must have been hard for Ziyech to accept and understand but Chelsea coach Graham Potter believes that the Moroccan winger is committed as a professional and as he is here he will fight for the badge.
The French giants even lodged an appeal to allow the trasnfer to go through despite the paperwork coming in after the stipulated time period on the deadline day. However the Professional Football League’s (LFP) committee did not allow PSG to sign Ziyech on loan and therefore the Moroccan had no option but to spend the rest of the season in West London.
PSG have blamed Chelsea for sending wrong paperwork at first and then when they were flagged the Blues had sent the right paperwork but without the signature. This happened twice and ultimately when the right paperwork with the signature came in, it was already too late for the French outfit to get everything ready as the deadline day was over.
However Potter is unfazed by all of this and feels that Ziyech is a thorough professional and is committed ahead of every game even if he is not feeling at home at Stamford Bridge. Potter said: “He’s back in the country. He trained this morning. These stories aren’t the first, they won’t be the last. He’s a professional player and understands the situation. He’s committed to us and available for the squad against Fulham. He will be an important player for us for the rest of the season.”
The mistakes that happened from Chelsea’s end were obvious as most of the people were excited to see if the Blues actually manage to snap up the most exciting midfielder in Enzo Fernandez. The youngster had a tremendous World Cup in Qatar as he won the Young Player award as he pulled the ropes from midfield for Argentina and guided them to the elusive title.
Chelsea had to break the bank for the former Benfica man as they signed Enzo for a staggering £106.8m and in the process they broke the British transfer record which earlier belonged to Jack Grealish.
Enzo Fernandez has landed in London on Wednesday and in all probability will miss the Fulham game. However he will be soon ready with all the paperwork and clearances in place. The youngster can solve Chelsea’s midfield woes for the next decade and considering his talent, he can be someone to completely change the course of the club’s future.
“We’ve got to wait and see with the paperwork, to see if he gets the clearance,” said Potter.
“I’ve spoken to him and although my Spanish isn’t great and his English isn’t great – we needed a translator, but we’ll get there. He’s an impressive young man. I’m excited to work with him.”
Chelsea are still 10 in the Premier League points table as they are ten points adrift of the top four this season and there are hardly any chances of them playing in Europe next season. But Todd Boehly has made sure that they have enough quality to get back up their in a year’s time, not only to participate but to win the whole thing.