Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech teased goalkeeper Edouard Mendy on their first day back at the club’s Cobham Training Centre.
Most of the Blues’ senior squad took part in either Euro 2020 or the Copa America, meaning only a handful of players have been involved with the club’s first pre-season preparations.
In fact, on the first day of training, only three players walked out onto the training pitch: Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tino Anjorin. Ross Barkley returned to the training ground on Tuesday for his first involvement with the main group, whilst other senior stars including Mendy and Ziyech are now also back in training.
Although there are limited numbers at Cobham, you could tell spirits were high thanks to a video posted on the Blues’ official youtube account.
And having not seen each other for the best part of two months, Ziyech joked that Mendy had enjoyed himself a little bit too much in his time off, remarking “too much kebab” after he playfully poked the goalkeeper’s stomach.
Luckily for Ziyech, Mendy appeared to take the joke well, and with Chelsea’s pre-season preparations now well underway, the pair will be put through their paces to make sure they’re physically ready for the new season ahead.
Chelsea’s first pre-season fixture of the summer has been confirmed and they will take on Championship side Peterborough United on Saturday.
The match is likely to be played at Cobham and therefore will remain behind closed doors.
As five Blues reached the final of Euro 2020 and veteran centre-back Thiago Silva reached the final of the Copa America, Thomas Tuchel won’t have his full squad back in training for a while.
However, positively, he has the chance to experiment with new combinations and give auditions to players looking to stake a claim.
