Chelsea
manager Graham Potter says Hakim Ziyech has returned to training and will be
available for Friday's game against Fulham after his move to Paris
Saint-Germain collapsed on Deadline Day.
Ziyech's loan deal fell through with Ligue 1 unwilling to ratify the
transfer following the late submission of documents.
PSG lodged an appeal to the Professional Football League (LFP)'s legal
committee, alleging that the Stamford Bridge club had initially sent through
the incorrect paperwork after the terms of an agreement had been finalised.
When it was flagged, they claim Chelsea sent the right documents twice but
without a signature. When the correct version was received, the deadline had
already passed.
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."
Will Fernandez feature against Fulham?
The Blues splashed a staggering £323m during the January transfer window,
including smashing the British transfer record by signing Benfica midfielder
Enzo Fernandez for £106.8m.
The Argentine landed in England on Wednesday but could miss out on the
Fulham game this Friday. "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."
Managing squad size and egos
Speaking about the difficulties of delivering his playing style to so many
new recruits, Potter added: "Coaching is a process and time help that but
I've never sat here and said that you need that - it helps.
"[The media] will talk about time and pressure as we go through the days and
weeks. I'm just looking forward to working with the players and I'm excited
for the second part of the season. I'm happy the window has closed."
The Blues now have a 33-man squad, which poses questions about maintaining
harmony among the group. "It's a challenge, but I'm not complaining about
it," said Potter.
"It's an exciting test. We've got really good players and it creates healthy
competition but I understand there will be frustration as only XI can play.
"We've got lots of important games and we need to improve our results, so
it's about being ready to support the team and being ready to play."
'Difficult conversations' about Champions
League registration
Chelsea are only allowed to register a maximum of three new players for the
knockout stages of the Champions League, before taking on Borussia Dortmund
in the last-16 - but signed eight during the window.
"There will be awkward questions and conversations as that's where we are
because only XI can play and certain numbers can be in squads," said Potter.
"So it's about being honest, open, respectful and as transparent as you can.
We have to create an environment where you respect players want to play and
respect players want to compete and help the team."
Does record-breaking window raise
pressure?
Chelsea splashed more on transfers in the winter window than all Premier
League clubs spent last January - and more than all clubs in Europe's other
top four leagues combined - but Potter has defended Chelsea's approach which
has been criticised in some quarters.
He told Sky Sports: "Sometimes people can't see things and that's normal.
From our perspective, we can see quite clearly in this window.
"You look at the age of the players, where they are in their careers, a
combination of the investment in the transfer fee and salary has made good
sense for us and where we're at. We've got a hungry group of players who are
ready to help the team now and also grow and grow as the club develops."
So, does the record-breaking outlay increase the pressure on him to deliver
success? "The word we have spoken most about in the last four months is
'pressure'. That's not going to change.
"If you spend money, the external noise goes up - I understand that. I've
also said spending money is one thing, but you need to align them, make the
right decisions and create a culture and team environment. Spending money
just won't get you success, it's more than that."
'Mudryk reacted to mistake in good way'
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk apologised this week after footage showed him
using a racial slur in a social media post.
The £88.5m signing used the term while reciting a rap song on TikTok last
July and the FA is seeking clarification and observations from Mudryk and
his club over when the recording was made, when it was posted online and
when it was deleted.
The governing body is able to charge players for discriminatory behaviour
away from a football setting under new guidelines issued in 2020.
Potter told Sky Sports: "We've certainly spoken to Misha (Mudryk) and his
apology was clear. He's a young guy that's made a mistake and as much as we
want to try and think we can all be perfect, the reality of it is we make
mistakes.
"Then it's about how you react to them and I think he did that in a good
way. Going forward, as a club, we have to be aware of our responsibilities.
It's all very well being happy but we have a responsibility here as a club
to win matches, perform well, and conduct ourselves in a good way and that's
what we're trying to do."
top