Chelsea set off on a luxury looking aeroplane last night, destination Australia. The 25 man squad are set to play their first pre-season friendly of the new campaign on Monday against Perth Glory.
While the squad looked pretty much as expected and consisted of the players who have been training for the last couple of weeks, there was one notable absence, Kurt Zouma.
This has, of course, sparked rumours of a Stamford Bridge exit for the 23-year old French international. Reportedly, meetings have been arranged to discuss his future this week. He is valued at £13.5M by transfermarkt.
Zouma joined Chelsea in 2014 for around £12 million and immediately became a fans favourite, with many tipping him to become one of the best defenders in Europe. He has power, pace, strength and reads the game well. However, On 7 February 2016, Zouma ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament and was out of action for nine months, with many believing that he has not returned quite the same player since.
Although he has continued to show his ability in spells, the injury has dented his confidence and progress, especially in a Chelsea shirt.
New head coach Maurizio Sarri likes his players to be technical type ball players and enjoys his defenders to be comfortable on the ball, hence our pursuit of Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani, who he managed at Empoli.
Although being fairly competent with the ball at his feet, Zouma certainly doesn’t boast the best ability on the ball as his competitors in a Chelsea shirt. Andreas Christensen, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, and the expected arriving Rugani all being more naturally comfortable with the ball at their feet. Rudiger perhaps being the weakest on the ball, but still would be placed ahead of Zouma in that respect.
This may well have sealed his fate at a club he was desperate to succeed at, with just too many other defenders featuring ahead of him in the first team ladder.
He has also stated previously that if he is not guaranteed regular first team football, he will be seeking a new home. And that is key for me, and that is what makes me believe that his next move will likely be a permanent move away rather than a loan.
It will be a sad end to his stuttering Chelsea career, and many will wonder what could have been if he didn’t suffer the long-term injury. But with the modern game demanding more technical styled defenders, Zouma is seen as more of an old-school, no-nonsense player. He will succeed to a good standard, but it won’t be at Chelsea.
What are your thoughts? Let us know!
