Zouma encouraged by Lampard’s words, ready to stay and take his Chelsea chance

After two highly productive seasons away on loan, playing a key role for Stoke City and then Everton, Kurt Zouma’s back with us this summer and is looking likely to pick up the pieces of the Chelsea career that was so rudely interrupted by the torn ACL he suffered in early 2016.

Speculation remains rife however that he will want to return to Everton — speculation clearly fed directly by Everton themselves, including even a bit of transfer request nonsense — presumably due to better opportunities at Goodison than at Stamford Bridge.

But as the man himself tells it, he’s a Chelsea player, and that’s where his intentions lie, especially after he had a talk with head coach Frank Lampard, who recently also made it clear with in his public comments that he wants Zouma to stay.

“I’m happy with what the manager said about me. That means he is seeing the work I’m doing and I’m very pleased with that.

“We had a chat, and he was very good with me. He is a very good manager. I enjoyed my time at Everton but I’m a Chelsea player and we’ll see what will happens in the future. I think it will be here at Chelsea.

“This is a chance for me. I went out on loan last season but I’m a Chelsea player and I want to do well to get my chance and be here.”

While Zouma readily admits that he had a good time at Everton, learned a lot, and enjoyed being trusted with the responsibility of Premier League minutes, he’s now ready to show off those improvements in a Chelsea as well as a France shirt.

“It was a very good season for me. It was very good for my development. After my injury I was ready to play week-in week-out. Going there I did that and improved myself technically and tactically in every aspect with the manager there. I am a better player. Everything has improved in my game. I still have a lot to learn and to work on but I feel I have done a lot.”

“[...] one of my targets [was] to get into the France team. I had been there before and wanted to come back. I managed to do that. Now the target is to play at the Euros — but to be there you have to be playing at your club. So I am working very hard.”

-Kurt Zouma; source: Mirror

A new and improved Kurt Zouma sure sounds like a very useful player to have among our defensive options.