A new report claims West Ham are in a meeting today to discuss signing Declan Rice replacement Denis Zakaria but is he the best we can do?
West Ham’s transfer supremos are meeting with Juventus today to discuss signing midfielder Denis Zakaria.
That’s according to new reports from Gazetta and Football Italia which claims a new round of talks is taking place between West Ham and Juve for the Swiss.
Report: West Ham in meeting today to discuss signing Declan Rice replacement Denis Zakaria but is he the best we can do
“West Ham are among the clubs leading the race for his signature and according to Wednesday’s printed edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (page 9), there will be a new round of talks between directors of the two clubs today,” Football Italia reports.
“Juventus’ asking price for Zakaria is circa €20m (£17m).”
The report states West Ham are in a meeting today to discuss signing the Rice replacement Zakaria but is he really the best we can do?
They say there is no smoke without fire. And this latest meeting between West Ham and Juventus suggests this transfer could well have legs.
Opinion: Signing distinctly average double flop Zakaria as a Rice replacement will be a huge mistake
If so then the Hammers are about to sell one of their best midfielders for generations and replace him with a distinctly average player who has flopped at his last two clubs and could not get into a Chelsea team who finished 12th.
David Moyes have been linked with a plethora of midfielders in the last two months. And Zakaria is comfortably the worst of the lot.
It’s vital West Ham get it right when it comes to using the Rice money wisely and improving the squad. Replacing Rice with Zakaria should raise red flags.
This is a player who completely flopped at both Juventus and Chelsea. And it is a seriously underwhelming target for West Ham fans.
is a 26-year-old Switzerland international who Juve purchased from Borussia Monchengladbach in January 2022 for €10m (£8.5m).
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But he completely failed to make an impact at Juventus, playing just 15 games.
Zakaria was then loaned out to Chelsea last season for a £1.5m fee with an option to buy.
But he fared even worse at Chelsea, making 11 appearances – mostly as sub – and the Blues decided not to activate their option to purchase the Swiss defensive midfielder.
Now Juve are so desperate to get rid of him they are sending delegates to London in the hope West Ham will take the midfielder off their hands.
His average match rating in his career so far is just 6.5/10 – hardly a ringing endorsement of the midfielder’s abilities.
Zakaria does boast respectable passing statistics but everything else – including his all-important defensive numbers – are distinctly average at best.
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