KURT ZOUMA has issued Chelsea with a warning that he wants first-team football this season – because the big France centre back is determined to play at Euro 2020.
The 24-year-old is back at Stamford Bridge after a successful year’s loan at Everton, which left the Merseyside club wanting to buy him in a £25million deal – but Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has made it clear he wants the Frenchman to stay.
Zouma though knows he has competition for places at Chelsea this season from David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andrea Christensen – so it is going to be a battle for who occupies the two centre-back places in Lampard’s team.
But Zouma made it clear on Monday night that he is not prepared to sit on the bench – because he has only just fought his way back into Didier Deschamps’ team, and he wants to keep his place for the European Championship finals next summer, after missing out on the World Cup last year.
He said: “That is very important for me. It was one of my targets to get into the France team. I had been there before and wanted to come back.
“I managed to do that. Now the target is to play at the Euros - but to be there you have to be playing at your club.
“So I am working very hard – and let’s see what is going to happen.”
Zouma has spent the last two seasons out on loan, first at Stoke and then last term at Everton, as he fought his way back to fitness after rupturing knee ligaments in 2016 and being out for six months.
Zouma, first called up by his country in 2015, actually only made his first start in June against Andorra. He now has five caps – and he wants to make up for lost time.
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