Zakaria scoring debut in Chelsea. In the future he will either stay or return to Juve

Denis Zakaria limps out, in the rain that suddenly begins to fall incessantly. But that lap at Stamford Bridge and those cheers, those front row fans who lean out to give him high five, the Swiss midfielder wants to enjoy them all. At Chelsea it was a mysterious object, the purchase arrived on loan from Juve on the last market day, the last blow of the tail of the Tuchel era confined to the bench by the new coach. He stopped being so on a rainy Wednesday in early November, in the last useless match of a group that Chelsea have already won. Useless to everyone except him. And for his future, now officially stuck between London and Juve, he always hopes that the Blues will eventually redeem him. “I hope to have more minutes, but the coach has to decide,” he said after the match with a smile, underlining one of the qualities that pushed Potter to finally give him a chance: patience.

Goals

–

Zakaria made the best use of his first chance with the Blues. “I always said that when I got the chance to play I would show what I can do,” he says with a touch of pride. Starter against Dinamo Zagreb, scoring in the half hour of the first half for the final 2-1, a right-footed blow that Moharrami on the line was unable to repel. “I wanted him to come in, I shot as hard as I could: I’m happy and proud for this goal.” He cheered pointing the finger at Potter, a mixture of “thanks for letting me play” and “seeing what I can do?”. Zakaria showed him what he can do for Chelsea midfield, not just scoring. Potter deployed the 4-3-3 left midfielder alongside Jorginho, finding a muscular player who helped the blue midfielder to order, cover and set up. Nothing sensational, because there was a lot of rust: 123 ‘in two of the first three league games with Juve, before the transfer to London, then 12’ with Switzerland on 27 September in the Nations League. With Chelsea never, not even a minute, inactivity that he paid for by surrendering to fatigue in the 71st minute. “I hadn’t played for a long time, I was a bit tired and I had cramps” that’s why I went out, he says under the press box, where he had to arrive by walking on the sidelines, since he had gone out with the health workers of the Blues on the other side.

Chance

–

This debut could also change his outlook. Having played for Chelsea, in January he will only be able to stay in London or return to Turin, given that by regulation you cannot wear three different shirts in the same season. The Blues have the right of redemption set at 30 million: so far Potter had never shown his appreciation of Zakaria, the last player he gave a chance, but this game and this performance could change that. “I asked him to be himself and he did it – says the Blues coach of the midfielder still owned by Juve -. He showed his qualities, he helped both in defense and in attack, he scored an important goal for both him and the team. I am happy that he scored and contributed, that he helped the team ”. Potter thought a lot before giving it a chance. “He was disappointed to be out, but he kept fit, he trained well, he tried to be supportive for the team anyway – says Zakaria’s Chelsea manager -: when you do, you have a lot of chances to play well. . And I believe that his story is also a positive one for the team ”.

Future

–

Now that he is no longer a mysterious object, Zakaria will try to prove that there are minutes for him in the Blues midfield. “I hope to play more obviously – says the Swiss -: I am a bit surprised that I had to wait so long to play. But a new coach has arrived, he has decided otherwise. I accepted it, I worked on myself to be ready for my opportunity. I think I was ready and I’m happy ”. This is where Zakaria starts again, from having shown on the pitch that he can be useful to Chelsea. It is no longer a mysterious object, it is no longer Tuchel’s latest purchase, but it is a cog on Potter’s team, one that the new technician knows what he can give. In Chelsea’s recent history, few players have arrived on loan and then redeemed. One is Mateo Kovacic: it is of him, and not of Makelele, his idol, that Zakaria hopes to follow in his footsteps. And Juve hopes with him.