Denis Lemi Zakaria Lako Lado is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea, on loan from Juventus and the Switzerland national team.
In June 2017, Zakaria signed a five-year contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was transferred as a replacement for Mahmoud Dahoud who left the club for Borussia Dortmund.
On 31 January 2022, with six months remaining on his contract, Zakaria moved to Serie A club Juventus on a four-and-a-half-year contract, in a deal worth €4.5 million. On 6 February, Zakaria scored on his debut in the 61st minute, helping his side beat Hellas Verona 2–0.
On 1 September 2022, Zakaria was loaned to Premier League club Chelsea till the end of the 2022–23 season with an option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
Will Denis Zakaria Stay At Chelsea This Season?
Denis Zakaria made his Chelsea debut tonight and topped it off with a debut goal before limping off the pitch injured to be replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
According to Nizaar Kinsella, Denis Zakaria is expected to finish the season with Chelsea, as Juventus will not take the midfielder back on loan. He is now expected to see out the remainder of the season-long loan deal.
Zakaria cannot go on loan to another club, so the only realistic option is for Chelsea to keep hold of him until the season is over. The midfielder will then return to Juventus, as it is unlikely Chelsea will want a permanent deal.
Graham Potter played Zakaria from the start tonight, and he impressed before going off with an injury in the end. The Juventus midfielder showed he can play in midfield for Chelsea, and poised questions as to why he wasn’t involved before.
The questions may have been answered when he came off injured late in the game, with the extent of his injury at the moment being currently unknown.