Zakaria, Mikel and five signings who never played for their new clubs
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 18 Oct 2022 09:39 CDT
- 4 min read
Denis Zakaria is set to leave Chelsea in January, ending a torrid loan spell that had promise, but has failed to deliver on that since arriving.
Zakaria arrived on the final day of the transfer window on loan from Juventus as Chelsea were short on options in midfield, but things haven’t been rosy.
Now, Zakaria is set to leave Chelsea after a difficult spell where he hasn't played and is not favoured by new manager Graham Potter.
So, which other players signed for new clubs but didn't play for them?
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John Obi Mikel – Man Utd
In 2005, Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel signed for Manchester United from Norwegian club Lyn however things didn't go as planned as he didn't play a single minute for them before leaving.
However, there was controversy when Jose Mourinho's Chelsea felt they had made the deal to sign him as they brought him to Europe, and they eventually did after a legal tug of war.
The Blues ended up paying a fee to Manchester United and Lyn to secure the Nigerian midfielder’s services and he ended up having a long career at Stamford Bridge.
🤬 Fergie would have been furious as Chelsea beat him to the teenager#MUFChttps://t.co/zFqpDkjO1B
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) October 5, 2022
Thorgan Hazard – Chelsea
Hazard is synonymous with Chelsea but that was to Thorgan’s older brother Eden who had a successful career at Stamford Bridge.
Things weren't quite as good for Thorgan as a youngster as he ended up leaving the club after a few years, having not played a single minute for them.
Eventually, Thorgan ended up moving to the Bundesliga in Germany where he has thrived for Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund.
Ben Davies – Liverpool
Late in the January transfer window of 2021, Liverpool were on the hunt for a new defender to add more depth to their back line.
They chased plenty of targets but weren't able to land any of them before the deadline day signing of Ben Davies from Preston North End.
He stayed the club for a year-and-a-half and included a loan spell at Sheffield United before making a permanent move to Rangers where he now plays in the Champions League.
Aaron Mooy – Manchester City
Aaron Mooy’s career in England is synonymous with time spent at Huddersfield Town but he was always a Manchester City player on the whole.
He also played for Brighton and Hove Albion, but he was never able to get a chance at Manchester City, who got him the move to England in the first place.
Mooy signed for City in 2016 and was part of their network clubs in the City Football Group, playing in his native Australia but never for the senior English side.
Denis Zakaria – Chelsea
Zakaria's loan spell at Chelsea has been a bit of a disaster as he has yet to play for them in any competition despite arriving with so much promise.
Zakaria was signed by former manager Thomas Tuchel when he was still at the club but after his sacking chances have been even more limited.
Now it seems as though he set for return to Juventus and it's likely that he doesn't play a single minute for the Blues in the coming months.
Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Aaron Mooy, Ben Davies, Denis Zakaria, Thorgan Hazard
