Chelsea want 19-year-old French wonderkid to eventually replace Terry in defence…
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Chelsea want to sign St. Etienne wonderkid defender Kurt Zouma, who could eventually succeed John Terry at the back, reports the Express.
The 19-year-old currently plies his trade in Ligue 1, and is already a first-choice starter for his home town club.
Jose Mourinho apparently is extremely impressed by the youngster, and reckons Zouma could replace club captain Terry at the heart of the Blues defence when the 33-year-old centre-back hangs up his boots.
Chelsea face a battle with Ligue 1 side Monaco, and Serie A giants Inter Milan for his signature though.
“Serie A is an interesting destination, as are Inter, for the tactical growth of the lad,” Zouma’s agent David Venditelli told French paper L’Equipe.
“Of course he wouldn’t mind moving to the Premier League, hopefully to Chelsea, where he could work with Jose Mourinho or to Monaco in Ligue 1.
“There were other sides interested, such as Newcastle, but now it’s a three-horse race,” added the agent.
Despite being only 19-years-old, Zouma has already made 51 league appearances for his club, in which he has scored four goals, too. His club form and prodigal talent means he has represented his country at every youth level, although has yet to win a cap for the full French national side.
This season, Zouma has started ten matches for St. Etienne, where he has been deployed as a centre-half in nine of the games, and a makeshift left-back in one of them. In the future though, he will likely be used solely as a centre-back, thanks to his physical presence and fantastic ability in the air.
The 19-year-old is very much a modern defender, in that his technical qualities are practically good enough for him to play as a holding midfielder. He reads the game well, positions himself excellent, and can carry the ball out of defence. His passing is strong too, meaning he would fit into a side that likes to play an attractive brand of football. At 6 ft. 3″, Zouma is a tall, powerful, athletic defender, who can normally match most strikers for pace, too.
At the moment, his tackling is considered perhaps his only notable weakness, which is strange for a centre-half. Zouma perfers to shepherd players, and will rarely dive into a tackle. While this stops him from giving away penalties, it is very much unlike Terry, who lives to make heroic blocks and last-ditch sliding tackles.
With age and experience though, and a manager like Mourinho to guide and improve him, this part of Zouma’s game is likely to develop.
If Zouma were to join Chelsea, he’d likely be loan out immediately, as the excellent duo of Gary Cahill and David Luiz are already currently vying for the spot alongside Terry at the back.
Here’s some of Zouma’s highlights from last season:
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