Liverpool Tried To Sign Denis Zakaria On Deadline Day

The Blues acquired the Juventus midfielder on loan during the summer transfer window.  Chelsea appeared to be done adding midfielders after completing the acquisition of two players earlier in the transfer window. 

Liverpool Interested In Denis Zakaria Before Chelsea

Liverpool Interested In Denis Zakaria Before Chelsea
Pic Credit: thechelseachronicle.com

But on deadline day, due to a last-minute change in the plan, much like Liverpool, they went after a new hire. The international player from Switzerland was about to leave Borussia Monchengladbach earlier this year when he signed for Juve at a bargain price.

Zakaria signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Serie A club Juventus on January 31, 2022, with six months left on his original term. The transfer cost €4.5 million.

Henderson, who is anticipated to be out for at least two weeks, joins the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the injury list for Liverpool’s midfield.

Liverpool’s early season midfield injury crisis resulted in an out-of-character and well-documented rush to add reinforcements at the end of the summer transfer window.

Arthur Melo Joined Liverpool

Arthur Melo, who has been putting in extra conditioning training since his arrival to push himself into contention for a regular role, received a season-long loan from Liverpool after the Reds’ search for a midfielder led them to another Juve player.

For Liverpool and Melo, things might, however, have turned out differently. That’s because Liverpool genuinely pushed to sign Denis Zakaria, a current Chelsea player.

Presently, Denis Zakaria left Juventus on loan to join Chelsea for the rest of the 2022–23 season, with the possibility of a permanent transfer after the season. A permanent contract is expected to cost £30 million.

Recently, Denis Zakaria, a loaner from Juventus who was a teammate of Arthur and joined Chelsea in the last minutes of the transfer window, a Swiss midfielder, stated Liverpool was interested in hiring him before making a loan deal to Chelsea on deadline day.

Chelsea, Everton, and Manchester United are Liverpool’s main competitors. As one of the oldest soccer clubs in England, Liverpool has developed a lot of rivalries over the years.

When the summer transfer window closed, the Switzerland international attracted much late interest from England. Denis Zakaria was eager to find a way out of Turin. 

Chelsea Sign Denis Zakaria From Juventus

He initially seemed destined for Anfield since Jurgen Klopp needed to bolster his midfield, but a season-long contract was eventually reached with Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea. But Zakaria didn’t necessarily have to stick with Chelsea.

Zakaria was rumored to have Liverpool’s interest before his transfer to Stamford Bridge, and the midfielder has acknowledged to Blick that the rumors were accurate through his statements.

He said that his agency told him that, but ultimately Chelsea was the one who said it. Everything happened in an instant. Six hours before the end of the transfer window, he learned that a move to Chelsea was feasible.

He also said that he believed he would be happier in England rather than in Turin.

It’s hard to state for him what went wrong at Juventus. Perhaps it was not his preferred football style.  The team wasn’t given much room and was significantly behind. For his runs, he requires a lot of room as a player. Perhaps England would suit him better.

But even in the first few weeks of his Chelsea career, a managerial change under Tuchel has caused significant changes at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, Tuchel, Zakaria continued, was the driving force behind his move to Stamford Bridge. He is yet optimistic that he can succeed with Graham Potter, manager of Chelsea.

Zakaria has yet to make his debut for Chelsea and could not play against West Ham just two days after joining the club. 

Denis Zakaria Faces Difficultly In Chelsea

Chelsea supporters have yet to witness Denis Zakaria in action after his deadline day acquisition. The Juventus missed the opportunity to make his Premier League debut since games against Fulham and Liverpool were postponed. He was not a substitute in Chelsea’s Champions League matches against Dinamo Zagreb and RB Salzburg. 

Denis Zakaria has had a difficult adjustment to living in west London, and it is unclear how much he will play under new Chelsea manager Graham Potter.  Thomas Tuchel was one of the primary reasons the Swiss international joined the team, but he was fired just days after Zakaria arrived at Stamford Bridge.

The Swiss midfielder must put his summer complaints aside and recognize that he is up for a new challenge. Zakaria may contribute to Chelsea winning trophies this season, given their lofty goals for the team. 

Chelsea will return to Premier League play on October 1st, 2022 while traveling to London rivals Crystal Palace under Graham Potter’s direction after Thomas Tuchel’s shocking sacking.

The focus will subsequently be on Chelsea, where Graham Potter’s decision to employ Zakaria this season will be the subject of much speculation.

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