West Ham In Talks To Sign World Cup Winning Defender
By Mia Claydon
Transfer news being reported by multiple media outlets suggest that West Ham United is in talks with Chelsea to bring Kurt Zouma to East London.
Chelsea had plans to make a player-plus-cash offer to Sevilla, in which Jules Kounde would make the move to Stamford Bridge, with Zouma heading to the Spanish city. However, according to sources, Zouma finds a move to West Ham preferable, as he will be able to remain in London and the Premier League, in which he is settled.
The 26-year-old Frenchman has been a part of the Chelsea set-up since arriving from Saint-Etienne in 2014, with a good portion of his career as a Blue being sent out on loan. Zouma had spells at both Stoke City and Everton, where he proved a solid, trustworthy addition. A centre-back by preference, Zouma can equally play as a right-back – showing his versatility, and potential back-up for Vladimir Coufal, should he become injured.
In 24 appearances last season, Zouma won 108 duels, made 91 clearances – 53 of those clearances being headed. He was a part of 9 clean sheets and had a tackle success percentage of 63%. But he wasn’t only reliable at the back – statistics show that he racked up 1,775 passes in total, with an average of 73.96 passes per match. Zouma finished the season with a total of 5 goals – 4 of which were headed, and one scored on his right foot. With the defender being 6ft 2, his physical presence alone is an aspect needed amongst the Hammers defense; an added bonus being the European football experience he brings.
Since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in Jan 2021, Kurt Zouma has appeared just 13 times across all competitions – with Thiago Silva, Andreas Christiansen, and Antonio Rudiger higher in the pecking order. Reports earlier in the summer suggested Chelsea were open to selling Zouma, and since then, the player has gained interest from Tottenham, Everton, and AS Roma.
Next. West Ham get their goalkeeper, and maybe for years to come. dark
West Ham is expected to make a bid of around 20 million pounds, which is below Chelsea’s valuation of the French international. The Hammers may also attempt a double-swoop for heavily-linked striker Tammy Abraham too, who is also poised to leave the West London club.