Who is Gabriel Zakuani?

SWINDON TOWN announced the signing of defender Gabriel Zakuani on a short-term deal before Town's 2-1 loss to Bradford City. Total Sport Swindon's Rajan Hothi takes a closer look at the career of Town's latest recruit.

Following Dion Conroy's injury last weekend, Swindon have been left short on defensive options - with Mathieu Baudry still recovering from a knock sustained against Colchester United. 

Wellens revealed after the loss to Newport that he may have to dip into the free-agent market, and he has done so after securing the signature of Zakuani - who has penned a deal until January at SN1 and was chucked straight into the starting eleven for visit to Bradford.

Starting his career with Leyton Orient in 2003, Zakuani impressed under Martin Ling and cemented himself as a regular. After the east London side defeated Premier League Fulham in the FA Cup, the Cottagers splashed out £1 million on the centre-back in 2006.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international didn't make an appearance for Fulham but he was shipped out on loan to Stoke City for two consecutive seasons, and he helped the Potters secure promotion to the top-flight in the 2007-08 campaign. 

Peterborough was Zakuani's next destination as Posh signed him initially on loan but made the deal permanent in January 2009. In his first season with the club, he was a regular as Posh won promotion to the Championship. 

He ended up becoming the club captain in 2012 and left Peterborough in January 2014 for Greek side Kalloni after making over 200 appearances in total for the club as well as earning two promotions from League One.

Following his short stint in Greece, Zakuani returned to Peterborough for the 2014-15 season and he went on to make a further 49 appearances for the club before signing for rivals Northampton Town in 2016.

However, after just one season with the Cobblers, the 32-year-old signed for Gillingham in 2017. He was appointed as Gills' captain and made 76 appearances for the League One outfit before having his contract mutually terminated last month. 

Zakuani has shown himself to be a leader at Gillingham and Peterborough in the past, and he looks to be the perfect fit for Town with captain Dion Conroy out for a matter of months.

An impressive display at Bradford showed that the 32-year-old is more than capable of slotting straight in, and he could be the perfect replacement for Conroy whilst also adding some key experience to a Town side that have hit a slump in recent weeks. 

He can boast over 400 league appearances and his experience in previous promotion campaigns could be vital for Swindon who have two big upcoming games against promotion rivals Plymouth and Crewe. 

Picture Credit: Swindon Town FC