Denis Zakaria had a grueling transfer final. His loan move from Juventus to Chelsea was an issue for the first time on Deadline Day and only materialized shortly before the deadline, as the former Gladbacher explained in an interview with the newspaper “Viewrevealed. Now the Swiss national player wants to prove himself in London, where there is a purchase option valued at 28 million euros. Whether that will be drawn is in the stars, because the trainer who lured Zakaria to the blues is no longer there: Thomas Tuchel.
“It all happened very quickly. I only knew that a move to Chelsea was possible six hours before the end of the transfer window,” Zakaria recalled on the last day of the September 1 transfer window. “I packed my things and waited for the contracts to be signed. Then I did the medical check in Turin and it was through, it was very close.”
Harit to Soler: top transfers on Deadline Day in summer 2022
Liverpool were also interested, as Zakaria learned from his agent, “but in the end it was Chelsea. And I think I’ll be happier in England than in Turin.”
Zakaria on Juventus: Not my style – Tuchel a reason for Chelsea change
It’s difficult to say why things didn’t go so well in Turin, according to Zakaria. “Maybe the style of football wasn’t so mine. The team was a lot behind, didn’t have that much space. I’m a player who needs a lot of space for my runs. It might suit me better in England.” The Swiss found positive words about coach Massimiliano Allegri. “He’s a good person, I can say that for sure. Maybe the team didn’t play that well, which is a shame. From the squad they can do much better.”
Tuchel, on the other hand, was “a reason I went to Chelsea, he’s a great coach. But now we didn’t have much time with him, but that’s football. Everything happens quickly,” says Zakaria. Tuchel was forced to leave Chelsea just days after the transfer deadline ended. Graham Potter took over. Zakaria said: “I might have another chance with the new coach, who I’ve heard a lot of good things about. I will work a lot to get my place.”
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
