Hakim Ziyech Breaks Silence on Claims His Moved to Al Nassr Collapsed Because of Knee Problems

• Hakim Ziyech’s move to Saudi Arabia from Chelsea reportedly broke down after he failed a medical
• The Morocco international now looks set to be with the Blues for yet another season
• He took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 4, with a defiant message to silence his critics

Hakim Ziyech had a direct 3-word response to his critics amid claims that his move to the Saudi Arabia top flight collapsed because of a knee problem.

The 30-year-old was on the verge of following his former teammates N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Edouard Mendy to the Middle East, as Al-Nassr were prepared to pay £8 million to Chelsea for his services.

The botched move is almost a carbon copy of a similar situation that saw Ziyech fail to secure a move to Paris Saint-Germain in January.

At the time, the deal collapsed after documents to officially sanction the move were not submitted in time, according to EuroSport.

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On Tuesday, July 4, the Moroccan took to his Instagram to joke about his supposed injury as he shared a photo of his lower body with the caption, “Knee problems, right?”.

Ziyech then added laughing emojis to his message in a pure show of defiance, but at least he could see the funny side of the saga.

The Chelsea outcast hoped for a better opportunity in the Saudi Arabia league. If his deal went through, he would have been tasked with being Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal provider at Al-Nassr.

His current Chelsea contract runs until 2025, but he will likely depart the club before his deal runs out.

The fact that Chelsea have a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino and Ziyech getting transfer listed means that he will find it difficult to prove himself to his new manager, and his best option remains leaving the club.

A move to Saudi Arabia is not completely off the cards, but he will likely be dealt a blow in his salary demands because of his supposed knee problems.

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Mauricio Pochettino taunts fan

Sports Brief also reported on an interesting incident involving new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino was caught on video asking a fan whether “he wanted to be famous” after the lad appeared to be caught in two minds about taking a photo with the gaffer.

The 51-year-old former PSG manager was leaving the Cobham training ground after his first interview as Chelsea manager.