Chelsea have reportedly completed the signing of St. Etienne defender Kurt Zouma, with the defenders supposed to remain in France till the end of this season. It is obviously a great signing by Chelsea, and it adds some much needed youthfulness to their backline.
Photo confirmation of Kurt Zouma’s £12m move to Chelsea. Official confirmation tomorrow. (Source: Numerous) pic.twitter.com/bX8p7w1bqf
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 30, 2014
1. Replacement For Terry
Now, Jose Mourinho clearly doesn’t rate David Luiz highly enough to play him at center back, and preferred to deploy him as a defensive midfielder during the festive period. That leaves only John Terry and Gary Cahill as the first choice central defenders available to Mourinho, even though Luiz is a useful backup option.
However, John Terry’s contract is set to expire in the summer, and there has not been any decision yet as to his contract being extended. At 33, Terry is towards the end of his career, and the England international has lost more than a yard of pace. Even though he makes up for it with his positioning and interceptions, playing him means that Chelsea are forced to play deeper than they would ideally want.
With doubts over Terry’s contract situation, Zouma’s addition is a very smart move on the part of Jose Mourinho, who is clearly looking towards the future in this transfer window so far. The 18 year old Frenchman has an outstanding physique and is hardly a pushover in defense and has great upper body strength. He is one of the quickest center backs in Ligue 1 which helps him make up for any mistakes that he does commit while playing with a high line. His strength and pace makes it easy for him to deal with any challenge, be it a more physical forward or a paceier forward- he uses his speed and agility to match up with attackers and dispossess them with his strength.