In a recent tweet, journalist Rudy Galetti revealed that West Ham United are prepared to step up their chase of Juventus ace Denis Zakaria. It has been claimed that the Hammers are ready to make a push to sign the Swiss midfielder this summer.
🚨🔥 #WestHam want to speed things up for Denis #Zakaria in the next days, anticipating the competition.
🔁 #Brighton – among other clubs – follow the #Juventus midfielder as a possible replacement of Moises #Caicedo.
⏳ Developments are expected soon for the 🇨🇭 player. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/pDncxKLrw8
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) July 4, 2023
Zakaria’s Unimpressive Loan Spell At Stamford Bridge Last Season
Zakaria had an underwhelming loan spell at Chelsea last season when he struggled to make an impact at the West London club. The Genf-born midfield ace participated in 11 matches for the Blues in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net just once in multiple competitions.
The 26-year-old anchored the midfield well at times by averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.1 clearances per game in the Premier League. He even distributed the ball relatively well after making 88.8% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at his parent club Juventus will run out in the summer of 2026, so the Hammers will have to make a convincing offer if they are serious about acquiring Zakaria’s services in this off-season.
Is Zakaria A Decent Fit For West Ham United Boss David Moyes?
Zakaria is a tough-tackling midfielder who can make a few solid challenges to secure the ball back for his team in the middle of the park. He usually clears his lines when the opposition are on the front foot and can make a few energetic runs with the ball from midfield.
The Swiss sensation mainly functions as a defensive midfielder but can also play as a centre-back or as a box-to-box midfielder if needed.
We can expect Zakaria to add more bite and steel to West Ham boss David Moyes‘ midfield. He would even increase competition for places within the East London club‘s squad. All in all, Zakaria would be a good fit for the Hammers as he would serve as a decent replacement for Declan Rice ahead of the new season.
