Kurt Zouma
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Kurt Zouma | |
| |
| Full Name | Kurt Happy Zouma |
| Date of Birth | 27 October 1994 |
| Place of Birth | Lyon, France |
| Position | Centre back Midfielder |
| Chelsea career | 2014 - 2021 |
| Debut | 24 September 2014 |
| Games (goals) | 71 (4) |
| Other clubs | Saint-Étienne Stoke City (loan) |
Kurt Zouma is a French international defender who signed for Chelsea from Saint-Étienne in January 2014. He was loaned back to the French side for the remainder of the 2013-14 season, before joining the Chelsea squad ahead of the 2014-15 season. Primarily a central defender, he also been deployed in defensive midfield by manager José Mourinho.
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Before Chelsea
Saint-Étienne
Born in Lyon, Zouma joined nearby side Saint-Étienne in 2009. He signed his first professional contract in April 2011, while aged 17, and was promoted to the senior squad ahead of the 2011-12 season. He made his debut on 31 August 2011 and went on to make 24 appearances over the course of the season. [1] He went on to consolidate his place in the side over the 2012-13 season, generally starting when fit, and despite incurring a 10 match ban for a reckless tackle in November 2013, his performances had led to recognition as one of the most promising central defenders in Europe. [2] By January 2014 Zouma had been scouted by many of England's top clubs, but stated that a move to Chelsea was his preference, having been contacted by manager José Mourinho in December: "There was advanced contact last month. When a great man like Mourinho calls a little player like Zouma, it's nice. It doesn't happen every day. If you tell me to go to Chelsea, I'll go there immediately."
Chelsea career
Zouma's signing was confirmed on 31 January 2014, Chelsea having paid a reported £12 million for the Frenchman. [3] He was immediately loaned back to Saint-Étienne for the remainder of the season; José Mourinho explaining that waiting until the summer to complete the signing was a risk given the potential competition for the young defender's signature. [4]
The young defender joined up with the Chelsea squad ahead of the 2014-15 season and featured in pre-season. He made his first team debut in late September, in a League Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers. He added to an assured display with a first half goal that put his side into the lead; Chelsea eventually winning 2-1. Nominally a central defender, he was used as a defensive midfielder by José Mourinho in the second half of 2014-15, most notably as a starter in the League Cup Final, in which Chelsea were victorious against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. A highly satisfactory first season in west London for the Frenchman was capped with a league-winners medal as the Blues won the Premier League for the first time in five years.
Statistics
| Season | Club | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2014-15 | Chelsea | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| 2015-16 | Chelsea | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| 2016-17 | Chelsea | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | Stoke City | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| Total | 80 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 5 | |
Correct as of 2 June 2018
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 2014-15 | 24 September | 2014 | League Cup | Bolton Wanderers | 1-0 | 2-1 | Stamford Bridge |
| 2 | 2014-15 | 4 January | 2015 | FA Cup | Watford | 3-0 | 3-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 3 | 2015-16 | 19 September | 2015 | Premier League | Arsenal | 1-0 | 2-0 | Stamford Bridge |
| 4 | 2015-16 | 24 November | 2015 | UEFA Champions League | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4-0 | 4-0 | Bloomfield Stadium |
International
Zouma had made two Under-21 appearances by the time he signed for Chelsea, and represented his country at every level from Under-16 upwards. He played for France at the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, and was a member of France's 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup-winning side.
He was called up to the senior side by manager Didier Deschamps for the first time in March 2015, making his debut in a match against Denmark in which he was a late substitute.
Honours
- Saint-Étienne
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2012–13
- Chelsea
| Current Squad |
|---|
| 1 Sanchez • 2 Disasi • 3 Cucurella • 5 Badiashile • 7 Sterling • 8 Enzo • 10 Mudryk • 10 Madueke • 13 Bettinelli • 14 Chalobah • 15 Jackson • 16 Ugochukwu • 17 Chukwuemeka • 18 Nkunku • 20 Palmer • 21 Chilwell • 23 Gallagher • 24 James • 25 Caicedo • 26 Colwill • 27 Gusto • 28 Petrovic • 31 Casadei • 33 Fofana • 42 Gilchrist • 45 Lavia Manager: Enzo Maresca |
