Thursday, 13th February, 2014
Kurt Zouma has revealed that Jose Mourinho called him personally to convince him to sign for Chelsea last month – and he spoke in French to seal the deal.
The 19-year-old centre-back had been on the wanted lists of Europe's elite for the best part of 18 months, but in January, Chelsea jumped in to scoop him up, agreeing to loan him to Saint-Etienne for the remainder of the campaign to gain approval from Les Verts.
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With Saint-Etienne agreeing to sell, Zouma still needed to be convinced though – and Mourinho worked his magic.
"In fact, first of all, there was a call from Mr Mourinho", Zouma explained to beIN Sport.
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"I had been given warning [he would call].
"He spoke in French, I understood everything.
"He told me clearly that he wanted me. I immediately jumped at the chance."
Zouma also revealed that he is a boyhood Chelsea fan, something else which steered him strongly towards the direction of Stamford Bridge.
"I had it in the back of my head 'Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches in the world'.
"Besides, I have been a Chelsea fan since my childhood."
Zouma will now set his mind to helping Saint-Etienne in their push to qualify for next season's Champions League. Les Verts currently sit fourth in the table, three points off a top three spot.
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