Enough Quality in Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake
Club captain John Terry has been relegated to watching the action from the sidelines this term and having not been offered a new contract, his time as a Chelsea player looks to drawing to an end. And it is the same for another long-serving Blues’ player Branislav Ivanovic, who is also headed towards the exit doors.
However, in Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake, Chelsea have enough quality to cover the first-choice trio of the centre-halves. Zouma, who has spent a long time on the sidelines, showed his capabilities in his first season at the Bridge under Jose Mourinho, displacing Terry from the starting XI. Unafraid, unabashed, extremely physical, Zouma is an excellent option to have to call upon.
And the Blues further increased their strength recalling the versatile Nathan Ake, who was on loan at Bournemouth. The Dutchman who can operate as a left-sided centre-back, a left-back and in defensive midfield, had spent the last term on loan with Watford and had excelled at the Vicarage Road. And having joined the Cherries for this campaign, Ake was one of their best players and his performances seem to have caught the eye of Conte who recalled him to Stamford Bridge earlier in January.
Both Ake and Zouma maybe young but have a decent amount of experience in the Premier League and can challenge the first-teamers for a regular spot. With a plethora of options, another new centre-back addition doesn’t seem warranted for the Blues.