Kurt
Zouma will be at the heart of Chelsea's defence for many years to come,
according to former Blues defender Paul Elliot.
Zouma - a £12m signing from Ligue 1 side St Etienne last year - has
established himself as a Chelsea first-team regular this season, featuring
in 12 of the club's 13 Premier League matches to date.
And Elliot, who spent three years at Chelsea during the early 1990s, says he
is a big fan of the versatile 21-year-old Frenchman.
"Kurt is very much the present and very much the future," Elliot told Sky
Sports.
"He's played at right-back and also as a holding midfielder but long-term
he's a centre-back for me, there's no question about that. He has got a
great physical presence. He's strong, physically very mobile and he attacks
the ball beautifully.
"Kurt is still learning the game but he's been a fine acquisition for
Chelsea. With his qualities and his characteristics aligned together he's
going to be an outstanding player for Chelsea.
"He's a young player with a wonderful future ahead of him."
Chelsea have already conceded 23 times in the league this season, with
established defenders John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, and Gary Cahill all
coming under fire for their performances.
But normal service appears to have been resumed, with Chelsea keeping two
clean sheets in their past two matches, and Elliot is convinced the club's
defenders still have a lot to offer.
"Top-class players don't become bad players overnight but they can lose
confidence from time to time," he said.
"One of the things those players have got is experience and age is no
substitute for experience. I mean look at JT [Terry].
"He is still a top-class player because positional sense is better than pace
and he's still a very important component for Chelsea as is Cahill and Kurt
Zouma."
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