Jose Mourinho Would Be Crazy to Allow Kurt Zouma to Leave Chelsea
It was two years ago that Liverpool owner John W. Henry asked the question about Arsenal.
"What are they smoking over there?" he quipped after the Gunners had made a rather blatant attempt at being a bit too clever in their efforts to match the release clause in Luis Suarez's Anfield contract.
Arsenal had just bid £40 million plus the odd pound in their pursuit of the Uruguayan. The tactic did a good job in rubbing Henry up the wrong way, but it did little in bringing Suarez to the Emirates.
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Perhaps Chelsea should now be asking the same about Sampdoria after president Massimo Ferrero hinted his club is close to signing Kurt Zouma, per ESPN.
Either that, or Chelsea have been sampling Arsenal's own waccy-baccy.
"I'm getting Zouma," Ferrero claimed this week. But why would Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho want to sell him?
Only last week, the French defender was reaffirming his status as one of the brightest talents in the game, collecting his award as the best young player at Stamford Bridge this season.
And if we go further back, Zouma played a significant role in Chelsea lifting the first piece of silverware since Mourinho's return to the club two years ago.
Zouma's display in March's Capital One Cup final was exemplary. Playing out of position to cover the suspended Nemanja Matic, he was confident—an assured presence. A rock.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, Spurs' biggest threat in attack, went missing on Zouma's watch. He marshalled Eriksen at Wembley, suffocating that vital supply line to Kane that saw him so lethal throughout 2014/15.
Many failed at that task—even Matic to a certain degree given the way in which Spurs dismantled Chelsea on New Year's Day in that 5-3 thumping.
The comparisons with Marcel Desailly were somewhat premature, though they remained apt.
Mourinho was rightly purring in the Wembley press room after the 2-0 win.
"In that position, you are surrounded by players, and you have to think quicker. He's our new Marcel Desailly," the Chelsea manager said.
"We were preparing him to play that role, and the kid did a fantastic job for us."
That quote has been revisited so often because it's so significant.
A 20-year-old makes his debut at Wembley—in a major cup final no less. The world is watching, and the pressure is on to emulate his vastly talented team-mate.
Zouma doesn't buckle—his performance mirrors Desailly in those many cup finals he played. He steps up, showing character and belief that he does belong.
That can take a lot for any player. So often, those moments go on to define careers, which it has for Zouma in the beginning stages of his time in west London.
When we think about his debut campaign, it's Wembley that tops it all. When we consider where his Chelsea career can go, Wembley lights the way.
Chelsea are serious about nurturing talent rather than buying it these days.
Indeed, listen to Mourinho speak, and it's clear his desire of emulating Sir Alex Ferguson's reign at Manchester United will be dependent on how he brings through the stars of tomorrow.
As much as Desailly is a legend from Chelsea's past, Zouma has shown us enough to suggest he'll be one in the future.
Yet, we're not talking years here—it's more in the short term that Zouma will be seen among the big names at Chelsea. He's all but ready.
The question repeats itself: why sell him? Why cash in and start the process of discovering Zouma's like all over again?
There's zero need to hit the reset button.
Chelsea have found one part of their defensive future in Zouma. Right now, they're tasked with discovering the missing piece to their next defensive partnership.
Will that be Andreas Christensen or another player from the academy? Or will Mourinho dip into the transfer market to speed up the process, bringing in a ready-made defender such as Raphael Varane?
Either way, the need for Chelsea to build from the back is vital. John Terry has that one-year extension, but how long will his body hold out with the rigours of Premier League football?
It's a question not even the Chelsea captain can answer. We've seen the ageing process rapidly end careers of the finest players, and regardless of the past year proving a fine vintage for Terry, the same fate can befall him.
Zouma isn't a like-for-like replacement of Terry, yet he needn't be. When the time eventually comes, Mourinho doesn't have to replace warrior for warrior—leader for leader, in that sense.
What he does need, however, is to find a player equally capable. That's where Zouma finds himself.
Even when out of position, the 20-year-old has looked the part for Chelsea. He has those broad shoulders every great defender needs, a physique to match his intellect.
He can be unhinged at times, non compos mentis at the mere mention of campaigns against his club, but crazy?
Allow Zouma to leave now and Mourinho will be adding a new adjective to his repertoire.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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