Denis Zakaria had just finished training with Juventus when a call came from his agent. The summer transfer window was in its final hours but there was a loan offer on the table from Chelsea. The midfielder didn't know any of his potential teammates. Nor would he have anyone to live with on the outskirts of London. Yet there was no hesitation.
"It’s Chelsea, you can’t say no," was Zakaria's reply to his agent. And so began the frantic process of his loan move to Stamford Bridge being finalised. "It was very, very late – everything happened in six hours so it was very fast," the 25-year-old says during an engaging interview at Cobham in which he speaks English well and smiles often.
"It was not an easy solution. But in the end, I am a player and I also need this challenge to be better. For me, I am better when I take challenges. I like challenges. That's why I am here. I want to prove I can do it and I will give my best that's for sure. To change everything, like the language, is not easy but I think I can do it."
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Zakaria stepped into the unknown; a few brief meetings with Kai Havertz in Germany was the extent of his relationships with players in the Chelsea squad. But in head coach Thomas Tuchel, there was influential dressing room support. Although that lasted five days as the German parted company with the Blues following a breakdown of his relationship with the club's new ownership.
"I know that he [Tuchel] agreed with the deal, that he wanted this deal," Zakaria explains. "For me, it was clear that when you can have a trainer like Tuchel, it is a big opportunity for a player. He is a big, big trainer and I was really happy to have the chance to train with him.
"But yes, after some days it was already finished! It was disappointing for him, of course, and for me. I think he is a good trainer and he could have helped me a lot. But we have a new trainer now [Graham Potter] and I’m really happy also. I will give my best to be the best and to help the team."
Zakaria's journey to Chelsea began at Servette, a Swiss Super League side based in his home city of Geneva. A two-year spell at Young Boys followed before he made the move to the Bundesliga. Signed by Borussia Monchengladbach in 2017, Zakaria quickly impressed in the German top flight.
Comparisons to Patrick Vieira and Paul Pogba were made. Wider recognition came in the form of interest from clubs across the continent. Arsenal were linked. Liverpool too. Chelsea were also touted in certain circles as a potential landing spot for the Switzerland international.
Zakaria stayed patient and continued to improve his game. In the process, he earned an endearing nickname from the Gladbach supporters: The Octopus. "It’s because I have very long legs," Zakaria chuckles. "There I used to win a lot of balls in midfield so that is why they said octopus. It was funny and it was positive…I hope!”
Those long legs took Zakaria to Juventus in January but injuries impacted his time in Turin. It's why the Serie A giants were prepared to let the midfielder depart in August. "I learned a lot there, with big, big players. I can only be grateful for that because they gave me a lot of chances."
The loan deal that brought Zakaria to Stamford Bridge includes an option to buy set around £26million. It will only be triggered if he forces his way into the starting XI and impresses. That hasn't happened thus far with Zakaria yet to make his debut following his switch.
There is no hint of frustration or disappointment; Zakaria appreciates the quality he is competing against at Chelsea. His chance will come, the fixture list the Blues face prior to the World Cup in November ensures that. All he can do is train, prepare, and be ready to take his opportunity.
"We have a lot of games and I think every player will have their chance. It’s at that moment the player has to take their chance and play well," he says. "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 that I deserve to be here, that I am a good player and I can help the team. That is the most important thing. I want to win trophies and help the team win. If I have the chance to play, I will give my 100% to help. That is the biggest point. We will see what happens at the end."
Zakaria has been impressed by those he is working alongside at Cobham. "Hakim [Ziyech] with a left foot – I never saw a left foot like it. Oof, it's crazy," he says with a smile. "N'Golo [Kante] I think is also an inspiration for every midfield player. What he does is incredible, amazing."
The Swiss star adds: "I can say here the quality of the players in training is one of the best I've seen. Of course, Juventus is also really good quality. But here, at Chelsea, I have to say it is really an amazing quality team. You improve yourself in every training. I came here to improve myself and that's why I feel like it will be a good decision to come here."
Informal chats with Claude Makelele – who works with academy players at Cobham – have been appreciated by Zakaria in his early weeks at the club. He hopes to meet another Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba, during his time at Stamford Bridge too. "When you are young you want to have a career like Didier Drogba," he says.
It's a lofty ambition but an understandable one: who wouldn't enjoy worldwide adulation and appreciation? But for Zakaria, the first challenge is to push ahead the stellar list of midfielders at Chelsea. And for the record, he has very little interest in playing as a wing-back, something Tuchel suggested was a possibility late into his tenure.
"Oh, no, no, no," Zakaria stresses when the notion is put to him. "I didn't know [Tuchel said that]. Ok, I can run fast but I didn't know I can play in that position! I am a really flexible player. Yes, I can adapt myself. That's also a good part of me. In the end, I am a midfield player first."
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