Why Chelsea would be better off avoiding Denis Zakaria

According to Express, Chelsea have Denis Zakaria on their radar and a move was held off in the last transfer window. There are several other clubs who are interested in the Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder such as Manchester United and City.

Profile

The 23-year-old Swiss midfielder started out his youth career at Servette FC in 2004 and spent the next 5 years there. He mostly played for the youth sides during that time and only during his last season, he managed to make 6 appearances for the senior side.

He joined BSC Young Boys, one of the top teams in the Swiss league after leaving Servette FC. In two seasons for the club, he made 67 appearances while scoring twice and assisting four more (source – Transfermarkt).

Borussia Monchengladbach signed him in 2017 and since then, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the most promising defensive midfielders in Europe. He has played close to 100 games for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 8 goals and providing 6 assists.

A full Switzerland international since 2016, Zakaria has 28 caps and 3 goals for his country so far.

Do Chelsea need him?

Chelsea were the showstoppers of the recently concluded transfer window, with money being spent on players such as Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech.

While they didn’t sign a defensive midfielder, they already have two players who can play in that position. N’Golo Kante is one of the best midfield destroyers as we have seen over the years. Even Jorginho adds a different approach to the role when he is stationed there, with his elite levels of passing.

This does raise the question whether they really need another player in the same position, especially with a bloated squad and so much money already spent. The answer is a simple no. Chelsea have a sketchy record of handling promising young talents. Names like Lukaku, Salah and De Bruyne come to mind.

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Now whether or not Zakaria goes on to reach those levels is a discussion for another time. The fact remains that Chelsea may not be the best place for him to develop his game. At just 23 years of age, not only does he need regular game time but also patience from the club.

Not only do Chelsea not need him, it could be a very detrimental move for the youngster.