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Galatasaray could terminate Hakim Ziyech’s loan from Chelsea after just five months after the winger’s difficult spell in the Turkish Super Lig.
Ziyech was hoping for a new lease of life at the Istanbul club but has struggled after picking up a handful of niggling injuries, featuring just nine times in the Turkish top flight so far – starting six of those and scoring twice.
He’s featured 14 times in all competitions, with two more goals coming in the UEFA Champions League but has been ‘ineffective’ and not able to ‘perform as expected’, according to Turkish outlet NTV Spor.
And amid the player’s constant battle to stay fit this season – having missed nine games through injury after problems with his foot and hamstring, Galatasaray are now said to be ready to cut his loan deal short and send him back to Chelsea.
For now, the 30-year-old will be focused on the African Cup of Nations after being called up to Walid Regragui’s 27-man squad for the competition.
Galatasaray could end Hakim Ziyech’s loan from Chelsea after just five months
The winger is seen as ‘ineffective’ at the Turkish club following a battle to stay fit
It’s not been an easy year for Ziyech, who fell out of favour at Chelsea under previous managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter – and latest boss Mauricio Pochettino was not convinced by him either and he was shipped out on loan.
Last January Ziyech suffered further heartache after a potential loan move to PSG broke down on deadline day after Chelsea submitted incorrect documents.
He still went on to play 24 times in all competitions, though many of those were from the bench as he started just six games in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.
Ziyech was then poised to sign for Al-Nassr but the deal was unable to take place due to a knee problem detected during his medical.
The 30-year-old has fallen out of favour at Chelsea and has suffered a number of set-backs – including injuries and failed moves
Ziyech has played a total of 107 times for the Blues since joining from Ajax for £34m in 2020, though his place in the team is uncertain should he return to Stamford Bridge earlier than expected.
His career at Galatasaray seemed to start in a positive way after he emerged among Galatasaray’s ultras to conduct a chant from the stands in front of his new team-mates.
Ziyech stood on scaffolding as he conducted the crowd and he was later seen on the pitch wearing a Galatasaray shirt and scarf.
