Hakim Ziyech has not been included in Chelsea's 29-man squad traveling to the United States for pre-season preparations for the new season. The club is leaving the former Ajax player behind in London pending a transfer.
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Mauricio Pochettino is traveling across the ocean with a massive squad. The new manager of Chelsea has at his disposal signings Christopher Nkunku, Andrey Santos, and Nicolas Jackson. Former PSV forward Noni Madueke is also part of the Argentine's group of players.
However, there is no mention of Ziyech on Chelsea's official club channels. The Moroccan left-footer has become one of the club's cultural icons, but the Londoners are not providing any information about the absence of the creative player. In contrast, the absences of players like Reece James (ill), Wesley Fofana, Marcus Bettinelli, Benoit Badiashile, and Armando Broja (all injured) are being explained.
It seems that Chelsea is pushing Ziyech towards the exit. The club is in the process of revamping the squad and has already sold fifteen players. For a while, it appeared that Ziyech was going to move to Saudi Arabia, but that transfer fell through. However, the door is wide open for him to find a new employer in this transfer window.
Moreover, Ziyech is not the only player missing. Romelu Lukaku, who is attracting interest from Juventus, is also not traveling to the United States. The same applies to Callum Hudson-Odoi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who also appear to be allowed to leave Chelsea.
Maatsen
Ian Maatsen has been called up by Pochettino. The left-back from the Netherlands U21 team had a good season at Burnley, achieved promotion, and caught the eye. Chelsea is giving the wing-back a chance to make an impact during the preparations.
