Denis Zakaria sends Chelsea message before debut as Kevin De Bruyne flaw highlights Boehly plan

Denis Zakaria has had a strange time to start his Chelsea career off. The midfielder is yet to play for the club and is already serving his second manager.

Having been brought in as a deadline day loan signing to help secure Thomas Tuchel’s desired midfield addition Zakaria then had to wait to be included in the matchday squad against Dinamo Zagreb, the final game of Tuchel’s tenure.

The Swiss player is now away with his country and will hope to push himself into Graham Potter’s plans when he returns, and he has told fans what he is looking forward to doing for the club.

Speaking to the club site he said: “I’m a player who needs a lot of space for my runs. It might suit me better in England.”

De Bruyne mistake shows Todd Boehly plan

Todd Boehly’s description of Mohammed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne as players that came through Chelsea’s academy was wrong, by all accounts, but the rest of his SALT conference offered genuine insight into his plans for a new look Chelsea.

Having backed academy director Neil Bath in the transfer market with over £50million spent on teenage talents in the summer, alongside appointing a manager with pedigree of playing and developing young players, Boehly is setting in motion a path for Chelsea to go along for future success.

The lack of option to buy for Levi Colwill and a temporary move for Callum Hudson-Odoi hints at this path, what Potter does next and how Chelsea act on their promising words will be what Boehly is truly judged on at Stamford Bridge.

New director of football chase

Chelsea’s attempts to appoint Christoph Freund as the new director of football seem to have hit a dead end as the RB Salzburg sporting director announced his loyalty to his current club.

This leads Boehly and co to a new route, one that has reportedly taken them to looking at Oliver Mintzlaff.

The RB Leipzig CEO has already spoken about his future, saying, “I am under contract at Leipzig until 2026 and I will also fulfil my contract. We still have a lot of plans, not only on the pitch but also off it. I feel comfortable where I am.”

Chelsea have been linked with a host of other names, including Paul Mitchell, Michael Edwards, Victor Orta and Tim Steidten.