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OFFICIAL: West Ham sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea

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Kurt Zouma

Zouma leaves Stamford Bridge having made 151 appearances for the Blues and scored 10 targets. His final recreation was our UEFA Tremendous Cup success, one in all 5 trophies he received throughout his time in west London having arrived from Saint-Etienne in 2014.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia mentioned: ‘Kurt Zouma joined us as a younger participant and has been part of so many vital moments for this membership over the previous seven-and-a-half years.

‘He confirmed unimaginable energy of character to return from a really critical harm in 2016, and he has at all times been a particularly in style character within the dressing room. We thank him for his contribution on and off the pitch for Chelsea, and need him the perfect within the subsequent stage of his profession.’

After serving to us beat Liverpool within the semi-final, Zouma’s particular person season spotlight was within the closing of that very same competitors at Wembley. Deployed in a central defensive midfield function, Zouma starred because the Blues received 2-0.

A primary Premier League title quickly adopted on the finish of a really promising first marketing campaign in English soccer wherein Zouma made 26 appearances in all competitions and made his debut for the France nationwide crew.

Zouma established himself as a first-choice centre-back in 2015/16 and scored his maiden Premier League purpose in a victory at residence to Arsenal.

Heartbreak struck in February 2016, nonetheless, as Zouma ruptured his cruciate ligament when touchdown awkwardly after contesting an aerial duel in a recreation towards Manchester United.

It might be over 10 months till he featured for Chelsea once more, however Zouma was on the pitch once we clinched the league title at West Brom, simply as he had been once we defeated Crystal Palace to do the identical two years prior.

After the 2016/17 season, Zouma launched into season-long mortgage strikes to Stoke Metropolis after which Everton to play usually and return to the degrees he had reached earlier than that critical knee harm.

He rejoined the Blues’ squad forward of 2019/20 and grabbed the second chance with each arms, remaining a daily all through a marketing campaign which was paused by the Covid-19 pandemic. His 43 appearances in all competitions was 15 greater than some other Chelsea centre-back.

Defensive reinforcements elevated competitors in that space of the pitch final season, and whereas Zouma nonetheless accrued 36 appearances, solely 13 of these got here after Thomas Tuchel’s arrival halfway by the marketing campaign.

Zouma nonetheless made 5 appearances in our profitable Champions League marketing campaign, most significantly serving to us preserve a clear sheet within the residence victory over Atletico Madrid within the spherical of 16.

In Porto, the place he was an unused sub, he added the prize of Europe’s elite competitors to the 2 Premier League titles and the League Cup he received at Chelsea previous to his home mortgage strikes. A Tremendous Cup triumph adopted earlier this month and, with it, Zouma’s 151st and closing Chelsea look.

An immensely likeable character round Cobham from the second he arrived, and at all times dwelling as much as his center identify Comfortable, even through the lengthy street to restoration from harm in 2016, Zouma was an vital member of the Chelsea squad for the 5 seasons he was in it.

He strikes throughout London as a Premier League winner and a Champions League winner, and with the perfect needs of everybody at Chelsea. Good luck sooner or later, Kurt