Since leaving West Ham United upon the expiry of his contract last summer, former captain Kurt Zouma has had nearly as many clubs as he’s played games.
The eleven-time France international made only four appearances during a disastrous spell in Romania with CFR Cluj.
Cluj terminated Zouma’s contract in January. For a brief spell, the one-time West Ham United stalwart was the best-paid player in the history of the Romanian top flight. In fact, every minute he spent on the pitch was calculated to have cost Cluj a staggering £3,000.
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After a potential move to China fell through, Kurt Zouma was snapped up by Al-Wael four months ago. Zouma has not played a single game in Saudi Arabia, however. In fact, he might never pull on the Al-Wael shirt in a competitive setting.
Because, according to Foot Mercato, Zouma is now set to make the move to Dubai with Palm City.
Kurt Zouma nears Dubai switch a year after West Ham United exit
After a few months in Cluj during the first half of the 2025-26 season, Kurt Zouma then joined the Emirati club Al-Wasl. But the player, whose contract is expiring, will continue his career elsewhere.
Zouma is expected to sign a one-year deal in the UAE. Given that the Conference League and Champions League winner has played only four games in the last 12 months, you cannot blame a club founded in 2023 for opting for an extremely short-term arrangement.
Palm City, who play in the second tier of UAE football, already have former Real Betis and Swansea City winger Alejandro Pozuelo in their ranks. Four Englishmen also ply their trade at the Dubai Sports City stadium.
Zouma needs to prove his fitness after Romania and Saudi Arabia stints
Back in December, Iuliu Muresan, the president of CFR Cluj, shed light on the difficulties facing Zouma during his most forgettable of stints in Eastern Europe. A series of fitness issues have taken their toll on the now-31-year-old.
“Zouma is injured. He’s very positive, a good guy, but we need fit players who want it,” Muresan told Fanatik.
“He wants to play, he has quality character, he has an impressive physique, but he has some problems with both knees. It’s hard for him to play football at this level anymore.”
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Zouma would play only 107 minutes of football in Romania’s top flight, starting once.
“What can I tell you about Zouma and the scandal that happened after the match between CFR Cluj and Dinamo?,” Fanatik reporter Cristi Coste wrote in a scathing review.
“[The players are thinking] ‘Look at this guy who comes in to ruin our match and has a salary as much as all of us put together, even though we have three months of arrears’. That was the atmosphere in the locker room at CFR Cluj.
“A gentleman appeared who claimed to be a footballer; Zouma,” an equally-brutal Emil Gradinescu told Prima Sport 1.
“He has a salary of [£50k euros] per month, and Zouma turned the locker room upside down. The man can barely walk! Why are you doing this? What did you aim for with this? To give [yourself] image boost or what? You haven’t paid your employees and you’re doing these extravagant things.”
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