Denis Zakaria has revealed that he was aware of interest from Liverpool ahead of sealing a transfer deadline day loan to Chelsea from Juventus.
Zakaria had only joined Juve in January on a cut price €4.5m deal as his contract with former club Borussia Monchengladbach was expiring.
The Switzerland international has since admitted that the style of football in Turin may not have been the best fit for him and that the Premier League might be a better match for his abilities.
But Chelsea wasn’t necessarily the only option for Zakaria.
"I heard [about Liverpool] from my agent, but in the end it was Chelsea. And I think I'll be happier in England than in Turin," he told Blick.
Liverpool were in the market for a midfielder and eventually settled on another Juve player, securing a season-long loan deal for Arthur Melo, who has been putting in extra fitness work since his arrival to push himself into contention for a regular place.
Zakaria’s move to Chelsea was ultimately completed very quickly, not even being put to the player himself until around six hours before the English transfer deadline.
However, even just a few weeks into his Chelsea career, things have already drastically changed at Stamford Bridge because of a change in management.
"Thomas Tuchel was one of the reasons I went to Chelsea, he's a great coach," Zakaria said. "But now we haven't had much time with him, but that's football. Everything goes fast.
"I might have a new chance with the new coach, about whom I've heard a lot of good things. I will work a lot to get my place."
Zakaria is still waiting for his Chelsea debut, not ready to be involved against West Ham only two days after joining and then sitting on the bench in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb and Red Bull Salzburg. Chelsea’s other two Premier League games since his arrival were postponed.
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Source : 90min