French "League" reported that after a successful season, Paris coach Enrique hopes to further improve the team's strength. He asked for signings at the centre-back position, and Bournemouth's Ukrainian defender Zabarni touched him. The player may challenge Paris captain Marginhos' main position.
Paris' primary target for signing this summer is a right-footed central defender. Enrique had already contacted Zabarney before the end of last season, and introduced him to his tactical plan and confirmed the latter's willingness to join Paris. In early June, Paris also learned that captain Marginhos decided to stay in the team. The Brazil international made a decision before the Champions League final and told the news about it after winning the championship.
Therefore, Zabarni's joining will bring competitive pressure to Marginhos. He has made 86 appearances in the Premier League since moving to Bournemouth for Euro 22 million in January 2023. As a neutral central defender of the Ukrainian national team (3 goals in 49 games), Zabarni and Marquinios have different characteristics. An English scout commented: "Zabarni has a height of 1.89 meters and a weight of 81 kilograms. He is taller and faster than the 1.83 meters and 74 kilograms of Marginhos. At the same time, he has solid defensive skills. When I first saw him in Dynamo Kiev in 2022, he showed dominance in the ground and the air-striking competition."
In the Premier League, which is known for its high-intensity repeated confrontations, Zabalni gradually got rid of the misunderstanding of "slow movements". The scout added: "He is actually a very mobile central defender. He is not slow and can observe the surrounding environment well, have the ability to read the game and predict in advance. His style is more like Pacho."
And Pacho is likely to become Zabalni's new partner, but the two still need to be run-in, because Pacho and Zabalni's central defender partner at Bournemouth last season - Wyson, who formed the sixth-small defense line in the Premier League, has a very different style. England scout commented: "I admire the combination of Zabarney and Wysen. They have complementary styles and a very tacit understanding. Wysen is responsible for taking the ball in the offense, while Zabarney provides stability and defensive hardness. But it should be noted that Zabarney's foot skills are not bad, he is a reliable player."
Compared to Wysen, who has joined Real Madrid, Zabarney's output data is slightly inferior. According to statistics from the data website FBRef, Wyson's average passes per game is 60, and Zabalni has 49.5. But in terms of average pass distance, according to Opta statistics, Zabarney's data is 20.1 meters, which is more than 96% of Premier League defenders. As can be seen from the video, Zabalni especially likes to use long passes to dispatch the ball to the side, especially on the left.
Despite this, his shot is still not as threatening as that of the skilled Berardo. But the latter is sometimes criticized for its lack of defensive aggression, and such doubts are hardly seen in Zabarney. Ukrainian central defenders are active in confrontation (confrontation success rate is 63%), and at the same time they are used to high pressure when there is room for defense. He grew up under the coaching of Ilaura, who is known for his love of oppression, which is one of the important reasons why Enrique hopes to sign him.