Why Chelsea replaced David Luiz with Zouma

Even before Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had elected to sell David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain, the Portuguese had already taken steps to replace the Brazil international.

On January 31, 2014, Mourinho forked out just under €15 million to secure the services of centre-back Kurt Zouma, who was to remain for the rest of the season on loan at Saint-Etienne.

While outside of France the then 19-year-old was a largely raw, unknown commodity, he had been busy earning a solid reputation domestically. A reputation that has now seen him touted as the heir to Marcel Desailly for both club and country.

Having accumulated over 70 games worth of experience with Saint-Etienne, not to mention a number of outings at youth level with the national side, he has more than completed his apprenticeship.

Throughout the second half of last season, Mourinho was busy ushering Luiz towards the Stamford Bridge exit. He refused to trust the 27-year-old in the heart of the defence, fearing his lack of positional discipline and tendency to over-elaborate. Nicknamed 'Sideshow Bob' after the extravagant Simpsons character because of his hairstyle, Luiz was just as comical and exuberant on the football field.

Such quantities made him unpredictable and thus a liability in the mind of the Chelsea boss.

When PSG – a side craving flair and excitement – offered the seemingly ludicrous fee of €60m to sign a player Mourinho regarded as a squad filler, it was an offer that could not be refused.



To his credit, Luiz has settled in well in Paris and has provided Laurent Blanc’s side with a source of excitement in the heart of their backline. The Parisian fans love a risk-taker with a penchant for the ‘beau geste’ - a showman with the capacity for the unexpected – but Mourinho is a pragmatist.

Speaking to the media in August, Mourinho offered a frank response when asked if his side would miss the Brazil international: “As a central defender not at all.

“In midfield he was a physical guy and gave us important things, especially in the Champions League when Nemanja Matic couldn't play.

“David did important things here, was always a good professional and we will miss him as a good guy. But from a football point of view, we believe our squad is stronger this season than last.”

In replacing Luiz with Zouma, Mourinho cast aside the man he considered a footballing timebomb and replaced him with a youngster capable of being moulded into an imposing, disciplined leader.

There was never any doubt about the physical attributes of the teenager. Even when he debuted with Saint-Etienne at the age of 16 he was of freakish size and strength for someone so young.

“The squad laugh a little about my age because, well, I’m a big guy for 19-years-old,” Zouma confessed to L’Equipe before he had made his first competitive appearance for the Blues.

“Even the coach does it. When we went for a blood test, he joked with me: ‘Now we’ll see if you’ve lied about your age.’”

Since then, the Frenchman has accumulated increasingly regular minutes in Chelsea’s first team and has started four of their last five games. Zouma also claimed his first silverware when he filled the midfield void left by Nemanja Matic’s suspension from the League Cup final – the role Luiz would likely have taken had he still been at the club.



Tactical adaptability is something that has been added to the young defender’s game since moving to England. Positional awareness was one of his major weaknesses in France, though it was hidden to an extent due to his ability to recover rapidly. Even Mourinho has been taken aback at the speed of the player’s education, though.

“Zouma is playing more than I expected, more than he expected, more than everyone expected. So he’s getting very important experience,” the Portuguese said after the 2-0 League Cup final win over Tottenham.

“We bought him because of his physical profile, but we were not happy with his tactical knowledge of the game.

“I thought: ‘No problem, it will take time.’ He’s bright, humble, wants to work and learn, listens and is intelligent, so he’s had an acceleration in that process to bring him to a level where he is competing with Gary Cahill.”

It has been a stellar rise for a player earmarked as little more than a backup and all the more special because of the comparisons with Desailly – a player he admits has been an “idol” of his.

When Desailly was 20, though, he was only establishing himself in a mid-table Nantes side – Zouma may soon find himself playing in a Champions League quarter-final.




source:goal.com