Troy Deeney reveals the ONE surprise Premier League defender that left him ‘thinking about life’

Troy Deeney has named Kurt Zouma as the one Premier League defender that managed to get the better of him and recalled a particular tussle between the two.

Veteran striker Deeney, now on the books at Birmingham City in the Championship, made 165 top-flight appearances for Watford and quickly became renowned for his no-holds-barred, physical performances and goalscoring prowess.

However, he has now admitted there had been one occasion he was forced to contemplate his career, having been beaten in the air and kneed for good measure.

Casting his mind back to a past showdown at Stamford Bridge, Deeney described the moments leading up to him being clattered by the defender on his head.

Speaking on the Filthy Fellas podcast, he said: ‘The only game when I thought, “D’you know what, I’m going to have to think about life” was Chelsea away, Kurt Zouma’s fifth game. 

Deeney, who played for Watford between 2010 and 2021, recalled being clattered by Zouma

‘I jump for a header… we had Heurelho Gomes, I used to shout at him all the time. He had that stupid throw. It’s come down with snow. He could do this mad throw. 

‘I used to say to him, “Please, I don’t care if you kick it off the pitch, stop doing that throw because I get mashed up every time.” I’m fighting in the air and the centre half’s going, “Ah, okay. Troy’s getting it with the rub of the elbow.” 

‘He (Gomes) did this throw and I tried to pin Kurt but he wasn’t there. So I’ve jumped. As I’ve jumped, he’s headed the ball and kneed me on the back of the head. I was like “How? I’m small!” I was like six foot and he’s kneed me on the back of the head.’

Deeney and Zouma squared off on several occasions before the latter joined West Ham, although the centre back’s career at Chelsea was disrupted by an ACL injury. 

Zouma made 151 appearances for the Blues across all competitions over his seven-and-a-half-year stint, having initially signed during Jose Mourinho’s second spell. 

The physical Deeney was renowned for a no-holds-barred playing style in the Premier League

Zouma spent seven years at Stamford Bridge before moving to West Ham in August 2021

Speaking on a podcast, Deeney (right) joked the incident left him considering his career

While guesting on the same podcast, Deeney also opened up on his threat to ‘injure every player’ at Watford as he pushed for a move away from the club in 2016.

After playing every game of the 2015-16 campaign, the Hornets were unsurprisingly keen to keep the prolific frontman, only for him to demand to be handed an exit. 

‘I’ll come back fat as f*** and I will injure every player until you sell me,’ he said. ‘I promise you I will injure every player.’ 

He went on to sign a five-year contract extension, however, and scored 10 goals the following season to help Watford hang on to their Premier League status.

Deeney saw out the deal and moved to boyhood side Birmingham in 2021. 

Veteran Deeney joined his boyhood side, Birmingham City, in the Championship in same year