Mark Noble praises Kurt Zouma after Premier League debut
Kurt Zouma is proving to be a solid addition to the West Ham defence after joining from Chelsea in the summer, and Mark Noble is impressed.
The Frenchman has impressed in the two games he has featured in so far for the Hammers, and he is without any doubt an upgrade on their former options at the back.
The France international centre-back, 26, has walked straight into David Moyes starting XI as expected, but his brilliant performances have not really surprised the West Ham skipper.
Noble told the club’s official website: “Kurt Zouma’s first performances for West Ham don’t really surprise me.
“He’s played at a top level, he’s a top, top player, he’s a French international, and a fantastic addition to the squad with the likes of Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson who have all been fantastic for us.
“We have strength in depth now and Kurt coming in, playing the way he has done in the last two games, has been great for us. For sure, the games we have, we’re going to need him this year, and we’re going to need all of our players, especially the boys at the back because playing week-in, week-out, nearly 60 games I think we’ll have this season if we progress, it’s going to be tough.”
Brilliant addition
Moyes was very keen on strengthening his squad defensively during the summer transfer window following the exit of Fabian Balbuena, and Zouma was always his first choice.
The deal almost fell through at a point after issues were discovered during his medical, while the player’s personal demands also made an agreement tough to reach [ExWHUemployee].
However, the move got over the line and it is a decision West Ham are not going to regret from the look of things.
With the number of games they are going to be playing this term given their European engagement, the need for depth at the back can never be overemphasised, and the addition of the former Blues star has given them exactly that.
They now boast of four quality centre-backs, and with the quality competition Zouma has brought to the table, the other three will not be relenting in their pursuit of excellence and getting better.
The Irons want to push for another top-six finish and challenge for silverware, and they have the squad capable of doing both.
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