"I always liked Chelsea" - £25 million-rated defender hints he is interested in Premier League move

Stuttgart defender Dan-Axel Zagadou has revealed that he is a big Chelsea fan and is interested in playing in the Premier League in the future. The English Premier League holds great allure for footballers, especially those who have never had a chance to play in the league.

Chelsea have been a very successful side since the turn of the century, winning multiple League titles and European titles. The Blues have gone through a lean spell recently, and are rebuilding their squad under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Stuttgart, on the other hand, are flying high in the German Bundesliga this season, and have picked up 27 points from their opening 12 games to sit in third place. Much has been made of the goals scored by Serhou Guirassy, but the defensive contributions of Dan-Axel Zagadou have also been key for them.

Zagadou has been impressive for Stuttgart this season, having joined them after his release from Borussia Dortmund. The 24-year-old Frenchman revealed that he grew up supporting Chelsea because of his childhood idol Didier Drogba. He told BILD when asked if there was a club he'd like to play for (via TBR Football):

“I’m a professional now, so I don’t have a favourite club anymore. When I was little, I was a big fan of Paris Saint Germain. And I always liked Chelsea FC because of Didier Drogba.

“Because of my Ivorian roots, Drogba is a great role model for me that I look up to. My father is also a huge fan of his. In Ivory Coast he is a national hero.”

Zagadou has scored once in the Bundesliga this season in 12 appearances in the competition. He was previously targeted by Arsenal, who tried to sign him from Borussia Dortmund for a £25 million fee but failed to prise him away from the German club.

Chelsea defense set for years with quality players

Chelsea have spent heavily across all positions, and while the results are yet to start coming in properly, the process is truly underway. The Blues have a promising squad of young players with the potential to rule Europe in the coming years.

The Blues have a very good lineup of central defenders and have many more on the fringes. Their squad comprises French stars Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Axel Disasi, as well as Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah.

This is not all, as they also have talented youngster Bashir Humphreys out on loan and Alfie Gilchrist on the fringes of the senior squad. They have a stacked backline and may not make any major additions to this unit for the foreseeable future.