Liverpool won’t have an opportunity to sign Denis Zakaria in the next transfer window. The Swiss midfielder has left Borussia Monchengladbach for Juventus.
Both Borussia Monchengladbach and Juventus confirmed on Monday that Denis Zakaria will join the Italian giants. This comes ahead of the end of his contract in the summer.
And with that, Liverpool miss out on an interesting summer transfer. The midfielder has long been linked with the Reds but this puts an end to those thoughts.
Liverpool lose out on Zakaria transfer
Gazzetta Dello Sport have previously mentioned interest from Liverpool, as has Fabrizio Romano. And it’s one that makes a lot of sense.
Liverpool never actually replaced Gini Wijnaldum when he departed for Paris Saint-Germain. At least, they didn’t bring in a similar all-action midfielder to replace him. Zakaria was an opportunity at that type of midfielder.
And an opportunity to sign such a player for essentially nothing. He was out of contract in the summer, after all, and that’s a hell of a deal. Even this month, Liverpool could have moved for a cut-price fee as Juventus have.
So the question is – why didn’t they? The answer is probably right in front of us. Liverpool shifted their midfield this season, asking the wider two of the trio to play far more advanced.
We’ve seen attacking midfielders thrive there, with Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones looking like the future. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, too, has revitalised his Liverpool career with the more attacking role.
Perhaps, then, Zakaria isn’t the right fit anymore. Liverpool want more creativity, more attacking pressure and will move away from the successful Wijnaldum role.
And who can blame them? In Elliott and Jones, Liverpool have two of the most exciting young midfielders in the country right now. Backing them to change the face of the team is a more exciting bet than signing Zakaria, certainly.
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