KURT ZOUMA

has impressed me frequently this season and he did so again on Monday when he was interviewed after the game at West Ham. He was asked if he was thinking about returning to Chelsea but explained that no decision will be made about his future until the season is over. Helping Stoke is his priority, as it has been since he first walked through the door. It would be easy for loan players to take a back seat in tough situations but Kurt has been a good lad around the place. He has also been good on the pitch and I’m convinced he will go on to be Chelsea and France’s first choice central defender. Everything you would want from a defender, he has got. Kurt is quick, strong, good on the ball and his leap is absolutely ridiculous. We do tests in the gym to measure your spring and he can get so high his head touches the ceiling. Really, he can be anything he wants to be. There was a period when we conceded a lot of goals that he found tough but he came through it and picked up the gears again. I can see him doing that plenty more in the future.