Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria in action. (Getty Images)
According to football.london, Borussia Monchengladbach ace Denis Zakaria is on the radar of Arsenal, and the Gunners could find him on the market in January considering his current club could be open to selling him during that time. The midfielder has spent the better part of his youth development at the German club but is linked with a move away from the Bundesliga in the winter transfer window.
The midfielder joined BSC Young Boys from Servette in 2015 and convinced Gladbach to sign him up just two years after that, indicating his talent as an 18-year-old. Zakaria developed well under Marco Rose in the last two seasons and has remained a starter under new boss Adi Hutter.
Would now be the right time for the Swiss international to move to the Emirates? And would the midfielder be a good fit for the Gunners?
Since making the move to the German club in 2017, the 24-year-old has made over 130 appearances for the club and has contributed to 19 goals in that time –decent numbers for any central midfielder. The Swiss produced incredible performances in the 2018/19 season and helped his side to a 5th-place finish in the league.
His displays notched a level higher in the following campaign as the Bundesliga outfit secured Champions League football as he helped Die Fohlen concede the fourth-least goals (40) in the league.
Thus, he can certainly offer substantial protection to a backline and already features in a two-man midfield in Gladbach’s 3-4-2-1 formation. Although Arsenal do not operate similarly, they also have two central midfielders in their 4-4-2 setup.
Mikel Arteta currently possesses Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi-Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny in the squad, while Ainsley Maitland Niles has also featured in that role sometimes this season.
However, Xhaka is out with a long-term injury while Elneny shall turn 30 next year and cannot cover the length of the ground game after game. Maitland-Niles and Sambi-Lokonga do not have enough experience of playing at the top, and hence, Zakaria could be the man to complement Partey in the midfield and at 24, he could become an asset in the midfield line.
The German outfit could cash in on the player in January as he only has a little over six months on his current contract. In such a scenario, the Gunners could seal a deal for the Swiss on a cut-price fee or even get him to sign a pre-contract agreement that would see him join the Emirates outfit on a free transfer next summer.
Arteta is building an exciting project in North London, and now that all of his summer signings are playing in cohesion with each other, the club is just above the Top 4 and only six points away from league leaders Chelsea. The Spanish manager has, however, done so without any European football.
Thus, squad depth is a must, and they need quality on the bench as well if they hope to compete on all fronts next season. The 24-year-old midfielder could live up to that billing, and given that he has already spent nearly five years in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues, the transition into another top team’s midfield could be smooth.
That, however, is something only time would tell and if the Gunners actually do something about their interest in the Swiss.
