West Ham: Hammers in ongoing Zakaria talks
The Switzerland international featured at last year’s World Cup.
West Ham United are in ongoing talks to sign Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
Who will West Ham sign this summer?
The east Londoners, fresh off their Europa Conference League triumph in Prague, will be looking to build upon that triumph and attract star players to David Moyes’ squad.
In terms of who could make the move to West Ham, there have been a fair few players linked, with Leicester City forward Harvey Barnes, Fulham star Joao Palhinha and Man United’s Scott McTominay coming as a few examples.
The Hammers could also reportedly make moves for United’s Harry Maguire and Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, with Switzerland international Zakaria featuring highly on Moyes’ transfer list as well.
Boosted by the appointment of Tim Steidten as the club’s new Technical Director, who is set to work closely with both Mark Noble and Moyes, it will be an interesting summer ahead for West Ham.
Going back to Zakaria, the former Chelsea loanee is a player wanted at the London Stadium, even despite a lacklustre temporary spell at Stamford Bridge.
The 26-year-old, who featured at last year’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is apparently at the centre of ongoing West Ham transfer talks.
Sky journalist Sheth, speaking to GiveMeSport recently, shared an update on the matter.
“The one that they are continuing talks with is Denis Zakaria,” said the reporter.
The Juventus midfielder was on loan at Chelsea last season.
“It might have worked in West Ham’s favour with regard to the fee because of how he performed at Chelsea last season. That’s nothing against Zakaria because he was going into a club which was a bit of a mess, really.
“I don’t know how many players you can pick out from the Chelsea squad from last season and say, ‘my goodness, they had a fantastic season’.
Maybe he was just one of those players that got sucked into that kind of malaise that happened at Chelsea last season.”
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How good is Denis Zakaria?
The Swiss didn’t have the most memorable of spells at Chelsea last campaign, but going by his past plaudits, there is certainly a player there worth considering.
German football icon Lothar Matthaus, for instance, even compared Zakaria to Toni Kroos during the player’s time at Borussia Monchengladbach.
“I’m glad that Gladbach have found another pearl,” said Matthaus.
“At his age, I was earning my first stripes for Borussia. He reminds me of Toni Kroos at that age.”
Meanwhile, another legend in Gladbach great Gunter Netzer claimed Zakaria is a man who can do it all in midfield – even way beyond his status as a defensive midfield player.
“It an insult to Zakaria (to call him a defensive midfielder),” said Netzer.
“He is enormously valuable because he plays for the team. Players like him play a part in the success of many teams, they do the dirty work for others.”
