Romano reveals ‘worrying’ situation at Chelsea for one of their summer signings
The situation surrounding Denis Zakaria is becoming “worrying” for Chelsea and Juventus, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Zakaria moved to Stamford Bridge from Juventus in the summer transfer window in a loan move until the end of the season.
However, the Switzerland international is yet to make an appearance in all competitions for Chelsea with the defensive midfielder signed by Thomas Tuchel.
Zakaria hasn’t even featured on the bench for new Chelsea boss Graham Potter and now Romano insists the move “will be discussed again” as it “makes no sense for anyone involved”.
Romano told Caught Offside: “It’s not been easy for Denis Zakaria – he looked set to stay at Juventus before Chelsea decided to go for him in the final few hours of the transfer market. Chelsea signed him on loan with a purchase option of €20m, plus €4m in add-ons.
“I’m told this deal will be discussed again because the situation is worrying – he’s not playing, he was wanted by Thomas Tuchel and he planned to have him as a starter. Still, under Graham Potter he’s not playing, he’s not even on the bench. This is why the clubs and player will speak again, because at the moment this deal makes no sense for anyone involved.
“And let’s see what Chelsea will do in midfielders in January or next summer. They wanted Frenkie de Jong in the summer and Jude Bellingham will be on the market next summer, with many clubs interested.”
Chelsea have got two wins from two games in the Premier League since Potter took over – including their 3-0 win over Wolves on Saturday – while he has also collected four points from two matches in the Champions League.
On Potter, Romano added: “There will inevitably be plenty of talk about what Chelsea might do next in the transfer market, but, honestly, after so much spending in the summer under the new owners, and the recent change in manager, I think it’s time for the club to relax a bit, and enjoy this great start made by Graham Potter.
“I always felt this would be a strong appointment, and it’s clear Potter is doing an excellent job, you can see the improvement game by game. With that in mind, I think having stories on new signings any single day won’t help this squad.
“For sure 2023 will be very busy for Chelsea on the market; but I think this group deserves trust before thinking about new signings for 2023 like Christopher Nkunku and whoever else they decide to invest in.”
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