RSC Anderlecht defender Zanka has been labelled as one of the club’s worst ever signings after his arrival from Brentford in the summer.
Voetbal Belgie cover the situation around the defender today as he finds himself in the firing line following a series of disappointing performances.
Zanka joined Anderlecht on a free transfer in the summer from Brentford, where he had been since September 2021.
He also joined Brentford on a free transfer from Fenerbahce but would only make 49 appearances across his three seasons with the club before his departure.
Things have not gone well at Anderlecht since his arrival, with a recent 2-1 defeat at Beerschot put firmly on his shoulders. He ‘made a bad turn’ say Voetbal Belgie and not for the first time. That’s led to ever increasing calls for the club to change things at the back.
“Everyone is better than Zanka,” Pieter-Jan Calcoen Calcoen is quoted as saying on the former Brentford man.
“It’s just bizarre how extremely mediocre he is. Unbelievable that he has recently played in the Premier League. He is perhaps the worst defender ever at Anderlecht,” added Koen Frans.
It seems not everybody agrees with that assessment, though, and one of those is his manager, David Hubert.
He’s only been in charge of Anderlecht permanently since 10 October after stepping up from his role as caretaker manager following the departure of Brian Riemer.
That’s given him plenty of time to assess his options and it seems he doesn’t agree with the comments being made about Zanka.
“We ask a lot of our central defenders, also on the ball. They have to play high and help build up. That entails risks,” he said.
“Zanka is a wonderful person. He does his utmost. The outside world can think what they want, but it is the team that has to solve matters as a whole.
“He is experienced enough to deal with this criticism. When I look at his week, I see that Zanka is very involved. He helps look for solutions and looks at images.”
