West Ham United centre-back Kurt Zouma is seemingly all set to leave the London Stadium this summer.
The Frenchman has regressed badly over the past 12 months, and moving him on this summer will be key.
Kurt Zouma joined West Ham from our London rivals Chelsea in the summer of 2021 for around £30 million.
Looking back on it now, it’s little wonder why David Sullivan tried to pull out of the deal to sign Zouma after his medical results came in, before his eventual move to the London Stadium.
That said, the 6ft 3in centre-back was brilliant for us during his first two seasons at the club – an absolute tower of strength in defence.
Zouma was colossal for West Ham, but unfortunately for the 29-year-old, his knees let him down.
And as a result, he was a liability for us last season, and that poor form bled into pre-season this summer.
A hugely worrying video emerged after our defeat to Wolves 10 days ago, and it showed Zouma in the very worst light possible.
So now Julen Lopetegui has made the decision to move the former Chelsea man on to pastures new.
But there has been a big twist from what was being reported yesterday.
Big Kurt Zouma twist emerges after Saudi transfer claims
Zouma’s regression over the past year has actually been painful to witness.
It was only this time last year when David Moyes made him the club captain at the London Stadium – a decision that seemed bizarre at the time in all fairness.
He ended up being a terrible captain who wasn’t reliable to call upon week, in week out, and lacked leadership when he did play.
Getting rid of him this summer is clearly one of Lopetegui’s priorities, thankfully.
Reports emerged yesterday suggesting that the Frenchman could be Saudi bound (The Times).
However, according to Hammers insider Sean Whetstone, Zouma is actually in talks with a club in Dubai, not Saudi.
In addition to that, if Zouma agrees terms, he will leave the club as a free agent – a huge loss for us.
It was originally suggested that the Hammers would be due to receive a nominal fee for the former Chelsea man.
Whetstone said, “West Ham are in talks with a football club in Dubai over Kurt Zouma rather than Saudi. If a deal can struck he would join as a free agent club sources have confirmed.“
Despite losing him for nothing, getting his £125k-a-week wages off the books will be a big boost for us – that’s more than £6 million over the course of a year.
It’s really sad how it’s ended for Kurt – he really was a tremendous player for us.
However, time waits for no man and unfortunately for the Frenchman, his body has let him down before he even had the chance to reach his peak for a centre-back.
West Ham are making the right decision to move on Kurt Zouma this summer, but he seemingly won’t be Saudi bound, with a move to Dubai on the cards.
If he does end up leaving, I’m sure you will all join me in wishing him the best of luck for the future.
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