Denis Zakaria
During a period whereby Chelsea supporters suffered, Denis Zakaria was one of the few to take accountability for the poor results. Following the defeat to Brighton in April,
Denis Zakaria said: “It wasn’t enough, we were bad. We have to do way better. What was said stays between the coach, the owners and the team. Yes, I think it is good [that Lampard is honest] because we need more. We are not good. It is tough. It is difficult and we feel bad for the fans because we cannot play like that. It is tough and we have to do better. It is hard.”
Unfortunately for Zakaria, the Seagulls clash would be his final game for the west Londoners and he was denied the chance to keep his word. In an interview with The Athletic in October, he admitted that he wanted to stay at Chelsea.
Denis Zakaria said: “If you don’t do good, you don’t have the chance to stay. Chelsea is a big club and if you’re not good enough, you can’t stay at this club. I am here to prove I deserve to be here, that I am a good player and I can help the team. We will see what happens at the end. I hope only the best for Juventus. I hope they can win the title in Italy and I would be very happy for that. Juventus is a big, big club, like Chelsea. I learnt a lot there, with big, big players. And I can only be grateful for that because they gave me a lot of chances and everything. I am a fan of Juventus and I follow Juventus, of course.”
Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly decided whether or not he wants Denis Zakaria to stay at Chelsea. The 26-year-old midfielder joined the Blues on loan from Juventus, arriving with an option-to-buy clause in his contract which is thought to be worth £26million. The report states that the midfielder will return at Juventus as planned before reassessing his options. Zakaria can leave Cobham training ground with his head held high.
