Denis Zakaria has revealed that he ‘knew nothing about the Chelsea move until six hours before the transfer deadline.
The Swiss midfielder had found playing time hard at the Allianz Stadium after completing a move from Borussia Monchengladbach just six months ago.
Speaking with Blick in Switzerland while on international duty, the midfielder admitted that he’s happier now at Chelsea, noting that ‘Juventus didn’t play that well.
“ Maybe the style of football wasn’t suited to me,” he added.
The Switzerland international had a mad rush, including medical tests in Turin, which eventually saw him move to Chelsea on loan for €3m with an option to buy for a further €28m plus €5m in add-ons. He had joined the Turin club for €8m.
Speaking on the transfer, Zakaria said it all happened very quickly as he was not aware of the move to until six hours before the end of the transfer window.
Zakaria also confirmed that there was some truth to the rumours that Liverpool were also interested in his signature on deadline day before going for Arthur Melo, his former Juve teammate.
“I heard that from my agent, but in the end, it was Chelsea. I think I’ll be happier in England than in Turin.”
Meanwhile, Juventus have not had a fantastic start to their season. So far, they have won just two out of their nine competitive matches.
Recently, they lost to Serie A newcomers Monza. The Turin club also sits at the bottom of their Champions League group with two defeats.
During his stint with the Bianconeri, Zakaria made only 15 official appearances, scoring one goal and creating one assist.
While describing Max Allegri as a good person, Zakaria noted that it’s difficult to say what went wrong, saying it may be the style of football that didn’t suit him.
“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.”
Written by Oladipupo Mojeed
