After plenty of rumors have been flying around about talented French defender Kurt Zouma, Premier League side Chelsea confirmed they’ve signed the 19-year-old from St. Etienne on deadline day.
Zouma is regarded as one of the top defensive prospects in Europe and joins the Stamford Bridge club on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
The reported transfer fee of $18 million seems rather high for a teenager who has yet to establish himself on the biggest stages in Europe, but Zouma is a French Under-21 international and has impressed many in Ligue 1 with his mature performances in 52 games for Les Verts.
Quick, agile and powerful, Zouma will likely flourish in the PL but it may be a few years until he gets the chance to do so.
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With John Terry and Gary Cahill forging a strong partnership at the back, Chelsea are pretty set for central defenders until JT retires in about two to three years time. As we mentioned Zouma will be loaned back to St. Etienne for the rest of this season and don’t be surprised if he gets the same treatment as Romelu Lukaku when he joins Chelsea, as it’s likely he will follow Lukaku’s path of being loaned on to another PL club for a season to help him get acclimated to the English style of play.
There’s no doubt Zouma has a bright future in the game, as Chelsea continue to splash the cash in order to stack up Europe’s leading prospects.
