Denis Zakaria admits he ‘knew nothing’ about the Chelsea move until six hours before the transfer deadline, but admits he’s happier now. ‘Juventus didn’t play that well. Maybe the style of football wasn’t suited to me.’
The Switzerland international only joined the Bianconeri from Borussia Monchengladbach for €8.6m in January 2022, but a mad rush including medical tests in Turin eventually saw him transfer to Chelsea on loan for €3m with option to buy for a further €28m plus €5m in add-ons.
“It all happened very quickly. I didn’t know a move to Chelsea was possible until six hours before the end of the transfer window,” Zakaria told Blick in Switzerland while on international duty.
He also confirmed there was some truth to the rumours that Liverpool were also interested in his signature on deadline day, before going for Arthur Melo instead.
“I heard that from my agent, but in the end it was Chelsea. I think I’ll be happier in England than in Turin.”
Juventus have gone into free-fall this season, winning only two out of their nine competitive matches, losing to Serie A newcomers Monza and sitting bottom of their Champions League group with two defeats.
Zakaria made only 15 official appearances in the Bianconeri jersey, contributing one goal and one assist.
Like Matthijs de Ligt following the move to Bayern Munich, Zakaria also is not kind to coach Max Allegri.
“It’s difficult to say what went wrong, maybe the style of football wasn’t suited to me. The team sat very deep, so I didn’t have much space. I’m a player who needs a lot of space for my runs. It might suit me better in England.
“Allegri is a good person, I can say that for sure. Maybe the team didn’t play that well, which is a shame, as with the talent in that squad, they can do much better.”