Report: Todd Boehly signed 25-year-old for Chelsea this summer, Thomas Tuchel had nothing to do with it
Reports have claimed that Todd Boehly was the driving force behind the deadline day loan signing of Denis Zakaria.
According to The Athletic, the transfer was made without the input of Thomas Tuchel, who had nothing to do with it despite being in charge at the time.
The Blues were beginning to get desperate on deadline day after the German had made it clear that he would like another body to add to his midfield options following a poor start to the season.
The beginning to the campaign was marred by an early injury to N’golo Kante, who is yet to feature since being forced off in the early draw against Tottenham.
Since then, the club have struggled to fill the void of the Frenchman, turning to options such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher with limited success.
Deadline day saw them approach a number of options to plug the gap, with Ajax’s Edson Alvarez even skipping training in an attempt to force himself a move to Stamford Bridge.
Boehly signed Zakaria
It has also since been reported that the Blues made an attempt to bring in Sander Berge from Sheffield United late in the piece, but he remained with the Championship club.
Eventually, the club settled on Zakaria, although as The Athletic claim this was without any recommendation from Tuchel.
The Swiss international is yet to feature for the Blues as he continues to build up his fitness following a limited pre-season.
Graham Potter was able to get a look at the midfielder however in the behind closed doors friendly played a couple of weeks ago, where he featured in midfield alongside Conor Gallagher.
Despite the deal bringing comparisons to the failed loan last year of Saul Niguez, Blues fans should remain confident that he can still have an impact on the team in multiple competitions this season.
