Chelsea preparing long-term contract for £40,000-a-week centre-back
Obviously being blessed with pace is a wonderful thing for any defender, but it can come with its own problems once they start to establish themselves in the professional game.
We all expect that young players will make mistakes and it’s easy to rely on their speed to get themselves out of trouble, but there comes a time when they need to start developing a better understanding of the game.
For a while it looked like that point would never come for Kurt Zouma as he struggled to establish himself at London club, so he was reduced to going out on loan a few times and appearing as a rotation option.
France international’s started to shake that reputation this campaign and he finally seems like he could be a reliable option at the back for the English coach, and he’s impressed so much that a new deal is now being talked about.
Playing a full campaign or two with Thiago Silva could be perfect for the 26-year-old centre-back because Silva will talk him through games and pass on his experience to help the French defender in a positional sense, so they could develop into a formidable pairing this campaign.
It feels like Kurt has been around for ages but he’s only just turned 26, so he could be the focal point of Blues defence for years.