Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly decided whether or not he wants Denis Zakaria to stay at Chelsea. The 26-year-old midfielder joined the Blues on loan from Juventus, arriving with an option-to-buy clause in his contract which is thought to be worth £26million.
Despite having impressed when called upon, Zakaria was starved of opportunities in the starting lineup. The Switzerland international featured just 13 times for the west Londoners across all competitions, averaging 55 minutes an appearance.
When Graham Potter was in need of some fresh legs in midfield, Zakaria always stepped up to the plate. But, under Frank Lampard, he was omitted from the matchday squad on several occasions, playing just once.
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While N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic face increasingly uncertain futures at Chelsea, Pochettino has reportedly turned his nose up at the chance to keep the Swiss beyond the expiry of his loan. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Argentinean has decided that Zakaria is not in his plans.
The report states that the midfielder will return at Juventus as planned before reassessing his options. Zakaria can leave Cobham training ground with his head held high.
During a period whereby Chelsea supporters suffered, he was one of the few to take accountability for the poor results. Following the defeat to Brighton in April, Zakaria said: "It wasn’t enough, we were bad.
"We have to do way better. What was said stays between the coach, the owners and the team. Yes, I think it is good [that Lampard is honest] because we need more.
"We are not good. It is tough. It is difficult and we feel bad for the fans because we cannot play like that. It is tough and we have to do better. It is hard."
Unfortunately for Zakaria, the Seagulls clash would be his final game for the west Londoners and he was denied the chance to keep his word. In an interview with The Athletic in October, he admitted that he wanted to stay at Chelsea.
"If you don’t do good, you don’t have the chance to stay," said Zakaria. "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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