Denis Zakaria has confirmed that he is leaving Chelsea. The 26-year-old joined the Blues on loan from Juventus last summer, with an option-to-buy clause thought to be worth £26million.
The Swiss midfielder found opportunities limited in west London and suffered with a number of injuries. Zakaria featured just 13 times for the Blues across all competitions, averaging 55 minutes an appearance.
Frank Lampard's arrival in March did not work in Zakaria's favour, with the former Chelsea midfielder playing him just once. With a number of options ahead of him in midfield, the Juve loanee has confirmed his exit.
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"It's been a tough time but you guys always had my back," he wrote on Instagram. "Thanks to everyone who's been supporting me! Let's focus on beautiful memories."
Zakaria's confirmation comes after it was reported Pochettino had decided he was not in his plans for next season. Back in October, the 26-year-old admitted that he wanted to stay at Chelsea beyond his loan spell.
"If you don’t do good, you don’t have the chance to stay," he told The Athletic. "Chelsea is a big club and if you’re not good enough, you can’t stay at this club.
"I am here to prove I deserve to be here, that I am a good player and I can help the team. We will see what happens at the end. I hope only the best for Juventus.
"I hope they can win the title in Italy and I would be very happy for that. Juventus is a big, big club, like Chelsea. I learnt a lot there, with big, big players.
"And I can only be grateful for that because they gave me a lot of chances and everything. I am a fan of Juventus and I follow Juventus, of course."
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