Denis Zakaria snubs Arsenal for Juventus then reveals Gunners legend Patrick Vieira is his ‘role model’

DENIS ZAKARIA snubbed a move to Arsenal in favour of Juventus despite admitting Gunners legend Patrick Vieira is his ‘role model.’

The Swiss midfielder completed a late January move to Turin, leaving German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach.

And with his contract ticking into the final six months, Juve were able to snap up Zakaria for just £7million.

Zakaria was attracting interest from a host of top European clubs, including Arsenal, but eventually chose a move to Italy.

But when asked if he had a role model, Zakaria named Gunners legend Vieira as his inspiration.

He said: “If I think about someone, I would say Patrick Vieira, I’ve always liked him.

“However, I am Zakaria and I try to have my style without following an exact model.

“I am an aggressive midfielder, I like to help the team recover the ball, but I also like to attack. I can describe myself as a complete player.

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“I am not going to stop here, I am a fighter and I always want to improve. It’s an important step for me, but I always want to become stronger.

“I have a chance to make it here, this is a step forward, not the last one.”

Vieira played a season for Juventus before moving to rivals Inter Milan.

The driving factor behind Zakaria’s move to Juve was his father.

The player revealed that his dad is a big Juve fan so he already knew a lot about the club before joining.

He added: “I chose Juve because it is one of the clubs that has always made me dream. I decided that it would be the right way to continue my career.

“I expected to leave Borussia but not soo son. Juventus don’t call every day, it’s a dream for me and I hope I can help.

“I am proud to be here, Juventus were the favourite team of my father, so I know a lot about this club. I’ll try to give my all, trying to help my teammates as much as I can.

“The level is very high, the atmosphere is good.

“I feel well and I’ve already trained twice. If the coach needs I can play already. He [Allegri] has told me what he expects from me, but we haven’t discussed the details.”

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