COMMENT: Chelsea and this deadline day midfield scramble. It was mad. Chaotic. But in the end, it was third time lucky. But Denis Zakaria certainly isn't third rank...

With some help from the medical team at Juventus. A clean 'net connection. And the dutiful staff inside Continassa. Chelsea managed to deliver manager Thomas Tuchel his desired midfield signing at third attempt. And in their wake, Todd Boehly and co left carnage across Holland.

In Amsterdam, after a €50m bid for Edson Alvarez was lodged Wednesday evening, the player was convinced Ajax would sell. So much so, that Alvarez didn't show up for morning training. Effectively the Mexican had gone AWOL. He knew Ajax had turned the offer down. He knew they had no intention to sell. But Alvarez still chose to make an attempt to force through the deal.

Alfred Schreuder, the Ajax coach, was livid. Directors Gerry Hamstra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the former Real Madrid striker, furious. And after calling Alvarez in for a summit at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, they let rip at both player and his agent, Fulco van Kooperen. But Alvarez was unmoved, reiterating his demand to be sold - something which Hamstra insisted could not happen given the glut of senior players to have departed this summer. Making things all the more acute was that the Dutch transfer window had shut the previous day. Both Chelsea and Alvarez had really given Ajax little room for manoeuver.

So with that door shut, at midday Chelsea turned to Eindhoven and slapped in a €45m offer for PSV's ball-winner Ibrahim Sangare. Like Alvarez, the Ivorian was keen. But having only penned a new five-year deal weeks ago, PSV - like Ajax - had no interest in parting with their midfielder. Again, with the Dutch market shut, there was next-to-no prospect of PSV agreeing to a sale.

Instead, it was put to Tuchel that Zakaria would be available. A Juventus player for barely seven months, the Swiss had made his name in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, where he had long been admired by the likes of Bayern Munich and Tuchel's former club, Borussia Dortmund.

So the German knew him. He knew his strengths. His potential. And crucially, trusted confidants had made clear Zakaria's availability. The arrival of Leandro Paredes from PSG. The decision of Adrien Rabiot to turn down Manchester United. And the sudden emergence of Fabio Miretti. They were all factors in Juve agreeing to allow their January signing to go.

Zakaria with Juve teammate and fellow January signing Dusan Vlahovic

This was at 9pm. Or let's say, a few minutes after. There was still time to get the thing done. But all parties involved would have to improvise. Critically, Zakaria made it clear he was ready to move. But there was no time for a medical to be held in London. Instead, Juve's J-Medical Centre was opened up for Zakaria to undergo his tests with Chelsea's staff observing from London. The decision was was a real leap of faith from Boehly after Chelsea's co-owner had insisted Wesley Fofana travel to the 'States for his medical before green lighting the defensive signing from Leicester City.

As Zakaria was being put through his paces, Juve's staff at their Continassa HQ were crossing t's and dotting i's on all the paperwork needed. And unlike their counterparts at Chelsea, who were fluffing the forms needed to close Michy Batshuayi's move to Nottingham Forest, nothing held things up.

So the deal was done. With time to spare. Zakaria signing for Chelsea while still in Turin. A free season-long loan with a €25m permanent option a realistic price. Chelsea also agreeing to pay Zakaria's salary for the year. As we say, a clean 'net connection making all the difference.

And for this column, Chelsea and Tuchel have come up trumps. If Zakaria can stay fit. If he can settle into London life. The Swiss could prove a long-term prospect for the Blues. Pound for pound. Player for player. You'd place Zakaria ahead of Alvarez and Sangare. Certainly there'd be no question if we cycled back to January. But even today, there are circumstances why it hasn't quite happened for Zakaria in Turin. Injuries. Competition. Simply a change of country. Of league. It has all taken it's toll. Joining an English speaking club. Finding a manager who knows him and rates him. It can make all the difference.

And his game is suited to the Premier League. A ball-winner. A goalscorer. A midfielder with a good engine and a robust defensive game. Zakaria can offer that physical presence that Tuchel has missed with N'Golo Kante's ongoing fitness problems.

Certainly, the Chelsea manager's compatriot, Didi Hamann believes so. The former Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder a fan of Zakaria, telling Tribalfootball.com last season: "I think his game is definitely suited to the Premier League.

"I think he could be a player for Liverpool, he's a player that has a great engine on him and he could play a more defensive role if Fabinho was missing.

"He can also play in a more attacking role, so he could be a player that would be a good fit, but he's definitely someone who could make the move to the Premier League in general."

William Niederhauser worked with a young Zakaria at Servette and he's another convinced by the 25 year-old's potential: "I have many good memories related to Zakaria. I'm happy to have coached him because he is one of those players who remain forever etched in your mind for his spirit of sacrifice, attachment to the shirt, daily commitment ... Denis never spares himself.

"Dynamism, quantity, but also quality. Denis is the box to box that Juve badly needed in the middle of the pitch. We are talking about a skilled midfielder in the two phases, able to play for 90 minutes with the same extraordinary intensity."

A difficult six months in Italy shouldn't define a player. There was a reason why Juve worked so hard to sign Zakaria. Just as there's reasons why the likes of Hamann and Niederhauser remain such big fans.

It was late. It was chaotic. But in the end, from Boehly and co's three mad attempts on deadline day, this deal for Denis Zakaria could prove the best.