West Ham United will hold a fresh round of talks with Juventus today as the Premier League outfit look to bring in the £17 million-rated Denis Zakaria as a replacement for Arsenal-bound Declan Rice.
In truth, most West Ham supporters said their goodbyes to Rice during those UEFA Conference League celebrations a month ago.
The England international’s departure has long been viewed as a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’; David Ornstein’s late-night ‘bomba’ on Tuesday merely confirmation of the inevitable.
The Athletic reporter claims that Arsenal have now reached a ‘total agreement’ with West Ham. Rice will become the most expensive player in English football history at £105 million.
Finding a player capable of emulating Rice’s remarkably well-rounded skillset will, of course, be easier said than done; Denis Zakaria at risk of being viewed as the Adam Lambert to Rice’s Freddie Mercury.
But while the Juventus enforcer would have boots the size of the River Thames to fill at the London Stadium, Zakaria does possess many of the attributes David Moyes wants from a Rice replacement.
Denis Zakaria could help West Ham move on from Declan Rice
“I’ve been compared to (Patrick) Vieira and (Paul) Pogba. Two more players I really respect. And, in a way, (I see them) as role models,” the former Borussia Monchengladbach ace told the Bundesliga website; Zakaria boasting the prodigious work-rate, the energy and the ball-carrying ability West Ham will lose when Rice completes his long-awaited switch to the Emirates Stadium.
According to Italian reporter Rudy Galetti, West Ham are hoping to tie up a deal for Zakaria imminently. The Hammers will hold a fresh round of talks with Juventus on Wednesday (Gazzetta dello Sport).
Juve want £17 million. And that should be a fee West Ham will have no problem matching with a £100 million wad of cash burning a hole in David Moyes’ back pocket.
Zakaria spent last season on loan at Chelsea. While opportunities were few and far between at Stamford Bridge, Zakaria could still be an outstanding addition to West Ham’s roster if he rediscovers the form that earned him a move to Serie A giants Juventus in the first place.
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