'He was tough': Troy Deeney says defender Chelsea signed for just £12m was his hardest opponent
Yesterday at 01:15 PM
Troy Deeney was a real handful for defenders in his prime.
The man born in Birmingham scored 140 goals in 419 appearances for Watford – with 47 of those strikes coming in the Premier League.
Tottenham even wanted to sign Deeney at one stage – given how effective he was in the Premier League.
However, there was one man who Chelsea signed for just £12m in Kurt Zouma who found a way to keep Troy Deeney on his toes.
Troy Deeney names Kurt Zouma as his most challenging opponent
Chelsea signed the France international from Saint-Etienne for a sum of £12m back in 2014.
Zouma arrived in the Premier League as one of Europe’s most talented young defenders, and he certainly made Deeney aware of his presence during clashes between Chelsea and Watford.
The 36-year-old told the UndrTheCosh podcast: “The biggest one who caught me by surprise actually, Kurt Zouma… I tried to pin Kurt Zouma, and as I turned, I just see him running at me, gave himself a massive run up to smash me. As it (the ball) was coming down I thought, this is gonna hurt so bad.
“No joke, he’s kneed me here (points just below the back of his neck). I felt like I’d been in a car crash. I thought, who’s he? Then obviously he went to West Ham and so on. He was tough.”
Chelsea eventually secured a decent profit on that initial £12m investment – selling Zouma to West Ham in a £29.8m deal back in 2021.
Where Kurt Zouma is now after leaving Chelsea
As Deeney, who almost joined Celtic, mentioned, Zouma eventually swapped Chelsea for West Ham, but the 30-year-old is no longer with the Hammers.
The man born in Lyon is currently on loan at Al-Orobah from the London Stadium, where he has made five Saudi Pro League appearances so far this season, including a battle against Cristiano Ronaldo away to Al-Nassr.
However, Zouma will not return to east London at the end of the season, as Al-Orobah agreed to a mandatory purchase clause during negotiations, meaning a permanent deal is going to happen in 2025.
