Chelsea has shown interest in Gladbach midfielder, Denis Zakaria, according to reports, and who has also been seen as a long-term target by the club officials. The recruitment team at Stamford Bridge is monitoring the situation and there were speculations about Chelsea going to make a proposition for the Swiss international until Lampard held off the move after spending nearly£250 million.
The Chelsea coach has been busy for the past few months before the transfer window closed as he secured the deals for Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Edouard Mendy. The seven major signings marked the squad overhaul of the Blues after spending millions on Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri.
But the shaky start of Chelsea in the Premier League till now shows that Lampardand his boys are far from being prepared to win big and there could be more signings to follow in the next few transfer windows. So this means Chelsea’s target has been quite on Zakaria as well apart from West Ham’s Declan Rice.
The tall central midfielder has over 70 appearances in Bundesliga and has netted eight goals as well as completed four assists. In the initial phase of 2019/20, he scored two goals compared to his four goals overall last term. Zakaria was named the Player of the Month for his club in the month of August. As a central midfielder, he has won a total of 97 duels and has 88% pass completion which makes shim in second-highest player with a pass rate in the team.
Zakaria is quickly turning into a fine all-around prospect in midfield as he is strong, a great runner, good in the tackle, and a great passer as well. In 2014, he featured in the U19 team and is now a crucial player for the Swiss senior team. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup group-stage match against Brazil and Costa Rica, he featured for Switzerland who was eventually knocked out by Sweden in the round of 16.
Zakaria is a versatile player who is comfortable playing both as a defensive midfielder and a box to box midfielder while he also has a unique trait of carrying the ball forward quite easily.
Gladbach coach has although always opted to play Denis as a lone central defensive midfielder just above the defensive four of the team. He has also played on the left side of a double pivot in midfield or as a middle man of a back three at times in the current season due to his superb defensive abilities.
His only weak department is his aerial ability which must need to improve. Statistics show that until now, he has managed to win only about 46 % of his aerial duels which is way below the average for a player of his size and physique.
No doubt in his quality if he is signed by Chelsea but a lot can still happen before that until January. His current contract with Gladbach expires in 2022 which would set him free at a much lower price in the following summer if he refuses to sign an extension.
