Thursday 26 November 2015 01:21, UK
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."
