“It’s been a tough time”: 26-year-old confirms he won’t be at Chelsea next season

Swiss star Denis Zakaria confirms he will leave Chelsea for Juventus return

Denis Zakaria has confirmed that he will Chelsea to return to Juventus at the end of his loan spell this summer.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Switzerland international will return to the Old Lady after new manager Mauricio Pochettino asked the Blues not to trigger the buy option in his contract. He signed for us on loan last summer.

But it has been a very tough time for him at Stamford Bridge. He has played just 413 minutes in the Premier League this season. He did miss a month of action due to an injury in mid-January but he was fit for large parts of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter’s tenures here – he just wasn’t handed his opportunities.

The 26-year-old is a stable defensive midfielder who can double up as a centre-back on occasions. But it is in the destroyer role that he thrives.

Good riddance for Chelsea?

He would have been a good replacement in the long run for N’Golo Kante or even Jorginho, who left us in January to join Arsenal on a permanent basis. But it seems Poch doesn’t fancy him.

We already have Enzo Fernandez, Kante, Conor Gallagher and Mateo Kovacic in central midfield. That doesn’t make for a very convincing reading.

But adding Zakaria to the mix could have been a risky strategy, given he didn’t show anything to warrant being here for another season. He has sent a farewell message to the Blues ahead of his return to Turin, which reads:

“It’s been a tough time but you guys always had my back. Thanks to everyone who’s been supporting me! Let’s focus on beautiful memories.”

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• Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is uninterested in pursuing a deal for Joao Felix

Wherever he goes, Chelsea fans would surely wish the best for him. It remains to be seen if he still has a future at Juventus, who allowed him to leave on loan just last year.