On the deadline day of the 2022 summer transfer window, Denis Zakaria joined Chelsea from Juventus on a season-long loan deal that also includes an option for a permanent purchase worth €30 million.
Speaking about the experience of the late transfer, the 25-year-old midfielder told The Athletic:
“It was very, very late. Everything happened in six hours, so it was very fast. It was crazy, because I finished training with Juventus and my agent called me. He said, ‘We have Chelsea (making an offer). Is that interesting for you?’. I was like, ‘Oh, yes. It’s Chelsea, you can’t say no’. After that, I got home and had to wait while the clubs agreed the deal and everything.”
Zakaria continued:
“In the end, it happened. Was I worried it would collapse? Yes, of course. It was really close. I stayed in a bureau in the (club) office in Turin until, I don’t know, maybe one hour after midnight. So yes, it was really close. But in the end, everything was perfect.”
Although the move, according to Zakaria, was perfect, it has not since gone his way, with the former Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder having failed to earn even a minute of playing time for his new club in England. However, the Switzerland international remains hopeful of making the starting XI amid this congested fixture list ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
