James Murray

Fri 6 October 2023 9:10, UK

Kurt Zouma has shared an admission after being handed the West Ham captaincy this season following the departure of Declan Rice.

Speaking to the Evening Standard on Thursday (5 September), the French international said every time he sees Mark Noble, the former captain calls him “skipper’, which he admitted is “weird” for him after he used to call the now sporting director that.

The 28-year-old defender revealed that he “didn’t know” he was going to be the new captain until David Moyes announced it in front of the rest of the players, but added that it was a “proud moment” for him.

“Every time he sees me, he calls me ‘skipper’,” said Zouma. “It’s weird for me because I used to call him that.

“I didn’t know it was going to be me. He told me in front of the boys – and we are all captains in this team. Everyone speaks, everyone tries to motivate players, not only me.

“I’m just wearing the armband and try to do the best I can. It was a proud moment for me.”

Responsibility

It looks as though Zouma is taking on the responsibility of being the West Ham captain well after it was a difficult act to follow in the footsteps of Noble and Rice.

The centre-back comes across as a slightly different character to his predecessors as he seems to be fairly relaxed on and off the field.

He has been the Hammers’ best defender since joining the club from Chelsea in 2021, so Moyes clearly trusts him to hand him the role despite only being at the club for a couple of years.

The Frenchman is a popular figure amongst the fans, meaning the appointment has gone down well in the stands and he will be looking to continue improving that relationship moving forward.

As he pointed out, though, there are plenty of leaders in the squad who will be able to offer him support and take on some of the burden as we look to have a successful season in the Premier League and in Europe.

In other West Ham news, a journalist has called for one Irons gem to receive a squad upgrade.