Graham Potter happy for Chelsea star Denis Zakaria after Dinamo Zagreb heroics
Speaking in an interview after Chelsea’s post-match press conference against Dinamo Zagreb as quoted by Football. London, Chelsea manager Graham potter has praised out-of-favour Blues midfielder, Denis Zakaria, for his impressive performance in the rare appearance last night.
The talented Swiss midfielder joined the Blues on a loan deal on deadline day with Chelsea having the option to make the deal permanent should they wish to. However, the Juventus man has hardly got a chance to shine during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Zakaria, until last night, had not started even a single game for Chelsea and it seemed like his time in West London was going to be a forgettable one. A talented midfielder, it was not clear as to why the Blues were not giving their loanee game time.
Even a change in managers did not result in a change in fortunes for the 25-year-old who was highly regarded for many seasons. However, things could be set to change for the Swiss midfielder especially after his impressive showing last night.
In his first start for the Blues across all competitions in a professional game this season, Zakaria managed to score his first goal for the club and overall had a game to remember. He was one of the Blues’ better players and did not show any signs of being rusty.
Speaking about the player’s performance, Potter agreed that Zakaria would have been frustrated by the lack of game time but was happy for him.
“He’s been, as you can imagine, frustrated and disappointed when he doesn’t play. That’s the life of a player but he’s handled himself really well. He’s kept himself fit, he’s trained really hard, and supported the team and his teammates in a really good way. When you do that, you give yourself a chance to perform when your opportunity comes. So credit to him”
Zakaria looked like he had been playing regular football for a long time. He will be hoping that his performance manages to get him a lot more chances with the first team and there is a chance he could turn out to be an important player for the Blues.
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Zakaria’s sudden revival sounds like an excellent story for the Blues. Let’s hope it continues for a long time and the Swiss can establish himself under Potter.