Talks look set to take place regarding Denis Zakaria’s situation at Chelsea after a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge following his summer loan transfer from Juventus.
The Switzerland international looked a top talent during his Borussia Monchengladbach days and showed some promise at Juventus as well before being brought in late on by Chelsea on Deadline Day.
However, it’s just not happened for Zakaria yet as Thomas Tuchel was sacked not long after his arrival, with new manager Graham Potter not using him at all so far.
Discussing the situation in his CaughtOffside column on Substack, Fabrizio Romano admitted talks would need to take place to sort out this worrying situation.
“It’s not been easy for Denis Zakaria – he looked set to stay at Juventus before Chelsea decided to go for him in the final few hours of the transfer market. Chelsea signed him on loan with a purchase option of €20m, plus €4m in add-ons,” Romano explained.
“I’m told this deal will be discussed again because the situation is worrying – he’s not playing, he was wanted by Thomas Tuchel and he planned to have him as a starter. Still, under Graham Potter he’s not playing, he’s not even on the bench. This is why the clubs and player will speak again, because at the moment this deal makes no sense for anyone involved.
“And let’s see what Chelsea will do in midfielders in January or next summer. They wanted Frenkie de Jong in the summer and Jude Bellingham will be on the market next summer, with many clubs interested.”
This will likely remind Chelsea fans of the bizarre Saul Niguez loan deal last season, with the Spanish midfielder also barely getting a game in his spell on loan at the club from Atletico Madrid.
Zakaria surely has something to offer Chelsea’s midfield, and it will be interesting to see if Potter ever uses him or if this loan deal is perhaps ended early.