Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on Young Boys midfielder Denis Zakaria.
Denis Zakaria in action for Young Boys
Tottenham Hotspur could be in the market for midfield options this summer, and Swiss newspaper Blick report that they are keen on Young Boys ace Denis Zakaria.
Zakaria, 20, came up through the ranks with Servette having joined the club way back in 2004, and he moved on to Young Boys in 2015.
After just one year with the club, he was called up by Switzerland for Euro 2016, and he now has three caps for his country having enjoyed a meteoric rise with Young Boys.
Now, Blick report that Tottenham – as well as Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke and even Liverpool – are interested in signing Zakaria this summer, with a fee of €10million (£8.5million) mentioned.
Zakaria may not be a household name for many fans in England, but he has impressed in Switzerland, with the 6ft 3in central midfielder possessing power, technical ability and versatility to play in front of the back four or further forward.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba
After joining Young Boys, Zakaria told Sportal HD that he bases his game on the likes of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira and even Manchester United star Paul Pogba, two fellow athletically-gifted midfielders with the technical prowess to match.
Last summer, United paid a world-record £89million (BBC Sport) to sign Pogba from Juventus, and Tottenham may look to mould their own Pogba by landing Zakaria for just a tenth of that record-breaking fee.
Patrick Vieira
In fact, that may be what manager Mauricio Pochettino would prefer. Signing big name, ‘finished articles’ in expensive deals hasn’t exactly been what the Tottenham manager has looked for at White Hart Lane, instead preferring to take young players – such as Eric Dier and Dele Alli – and turning them into stars.
With that in mind, Zakaria fits the bill for Spurs, especially as he could learn behind Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama in central midfield whilst stepping in when needed, with Tottenham often lacking drive from the middle of the park when Dembele doesn’t play – and if Zakaria could bring even a fraction of what Vieira did or Pogba does, then £8.5million could be a gamble worth taking.
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