Juventus have made their second big signing in the January transfer window, as Denis Zakaria joins from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Bianconeri will pay the German side 5 million euros, plus add ons. Zakaria had a contract until this summer, hence why Juve could get the defensive midfielder for that price.
The 25-year-old Zakaria, who’s 1,91m tall, is valued at 27 million euros. He came through the ranks of Swiss club Servette FC before joining BSC Young Boys. In 2017, he joined Gladbach for 12 million euros. He was going to leave the club this summer, because his contract ran out. He will now join Juve and sign a contract until June 2026.
Long passer
Zakaria has played the majority of his games for Borussia Mönchengladbach as a defensive midfielder. Therefore, looking at his goals and assists isn’t the best way to get to know the 40 time Swiss international. WhoScored.com took a deeper look at his season with an underwhelming Gladbach side, who are in 12th, at the start of January.
In 14 matches, Zakaria provided 2 goals and 1 assist. The defensive midfielder completed an average of 1.6 tackles and 2 dribbles per 90 minutes. 70.7 percent of all his dribbles and 90.1 percent of his passes were succesfull. Zakaria’s most impressive feature, in which he is the best of all Bundesliga players that attempted at least 35, is his 72.2 percent long ball success rate.
