In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, renowned journalist Paul Brown was full of praise for West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma as he backed the French centre-back to be a good signing for the Hammers. Brown said,
“He is great in the dressing room, like a really, really good personality, top professional, always turning up with a smile on his face, never causing a problem. I think that means West Ham have got a good lad there, a good signing.”
Zouma’s Recent Form In English Football
After arriving from Chelsea last summer, Zouma made an impressive debut for the East London outfit earlier this week when he managed to keep an impressive clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Europa League.
The Lyon-born sensation had a successful season at Stamford Bridge when he put in a series of commanding displays at the heart of Thomas Tuchel’s defence. Zouma featured in 36 matches for Chelsea in the previous campaign, netting five goals and grabbing three assists on all fronts.
More importantly, the 26-year-old proved himself to be a valuable contributor on the defensive end of the field as he averaged 0.7 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3.8 clearances per game in the 2020-21 Premier League season. He was even accurate when distributing possession from the back based on his pass completion rate of 90.9% in league football (stats via whoscored).
Should David Moyes Make Zouma A Regular Starter At The London Stadium?
Zouma is a tough-tackling central defender who has got the tenacity to fight for the loose ball and can time his challenges well to earn possession back for his team. He can use his robust 1.90m frame to overpower the opposition and is proficient at clearing the danger inside his half.
The French defensive ace is a tidy passer of the ball but can sometimes make a few errors at the back which could be why Chelsea decided to sanction his departure last summer. However, West Ham boss David Moyes has every reason to be confident that he can get the best out of Zouma if he is open to playing him regularly at the English capital this season.
At 26, the eight-time France international has got a wealth of experience in Premier League football and is about to enter his prime. Hence, Moyes can expect him to mature as a footballer and become a future star at the London Stadium.
Zouma has what it takes to compete with Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop and Craig Dawson for a regular starting spot at West Ham every week. If he can maintain his high standards over the next few games, Moyes would be wise to make him a regular feature of his starting XI for the remainder of this campaign.
