Chelsea have announced another signing to cap off the summer transfer window with the late acquisition of Denis Zakaria on a loan deal.
Thomas Tuchel was in need of a midfield player as injuries had reduced his options. Coming into the season he had a surplus of central midfielders, but heading into deadline day he had just two fit, experienced players in those spots. This new signing will add some much-appreciated depth in the short term.
Chelsea Sign Denis Zakaria
Midfield Reinforcements
While The Blues were desperate to sign a player on deadline day, that doesn’t mean they picked up any old player. The Swiss international is an acclaimed holding midfielder who can provide relief for the injury-prone N’Golo Kante.
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The 25-year-old has been described as a “midfield monster” and drawn comparisons to Patrick Viera.
Denis Zakaria completed his medical as new Chelsea player and Juventus are preparing all the paperworks. 🚨🔵 #CFC #DeadlineDay
Exclusive: structure of the deal ⤵️
▫️ Loan with £30m buy option, NOT mandatory;
▫️ Potential five year contract;
▫️ Chelsea to cover 100% salary. pic.twitter.com/7RN3vKfaGZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
Top Level Experience
Despite being in his mid-20s Zakaria has been playing in one of Europe’s top leagues since 2017. After impressing in his home country for Young Boys he was picked up by German side Borussia Monchengladbach. He was a regular for the Bundesliga side, making 146 appearances for the club before making the move to Juventus in January of 2022.
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After just six months in the Serie A, the former Servette academy graduate is heading to the Premier League, potentially permanently. While the initial deal is for a loan, Fabrizio Romano has reported that there is a £30 million option to buy that could come with a five-year deal.
This was a very smart piece of business for The Blues as they get immediate cover for their midfield woes without committing big money. In addition, if the Swiss midfielder ends up playing really well then they’ll have found their next star midfielder, but if he doesn’t then they can send him back to Italy.
