Is Kurt Zouma to West Ham the signing of the season?
By Alex Smith
West Ham have made an excellent start to the season and Kurt Zouma has made a huge impact since his arrival from from Premier League leaders Chelsea for a fee of £25 milion.
He scored his first goal of the season in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool and is fast becoming a fan’s favourite.
Zouma has been a rock at the back in recent weeks and West Ham signing him over the summer from a London and perhaps top of the table rival seems like an exceptional deal for an experienced player who is still just 27-years-old.
Is West Ham’s signing of Kurt Zouma the best deal of the summer transfer window?
With the Hammers flying high, joint 2nd in the league, top of their Europa League group and through to the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup there is a feel-good factor at the club and Zouma is thriving playing regular first-team football in East London.
Looking back at the summer, West Ham were believed to have a budget of roughly £50 million to spend. David Moyes’ side were in desperate need for a quality centre-back. After pursing Nikola Milenkovic for some time, the club eventually sealed the deal for Zouma after a long transfer saga.
The former Everton and Stoke player has just began to form a blossoming partnership at the heart of the West Ham defence with Angelo Ogbonna but it has now been confirmed that the experienced Italian could be out for some time with an ACL injury. Zouma will now become the “main man’ in the defence with Craig Dawson or Issa Diop set to step in.
Since his arrival he’s played eight games keeping three clean sheets in all competitions.
It’s clear Kurt Zouma has made a difference to the Hammers but is he signing of the season? Let’s compare the options:
Man United made some big signings, none bigger than the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, he has scored vital goals, however some claim he has ruined the balance of the team.
Maxwell Cornet‘s arrival at Burnley has made a massive difference to the Clarets scoring 4 goals in 6 games, including a stunning strike versus Brentford, he is up for debate.
Arsenal have begun to find a balance at centre-back with Ben White, but he did cost over £50 million. Aaron Ramsdale behind him has been fantastic and is a potential contender. Additionally, Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been fabulous for the Gunners.
Zouma also faces competition from Crystal Palace‘s loan deal for Conor Gallagher. The young midfielder is benefitting from the tuition of manager, Patrick Vieira, scoring four goals and epitomising the club’s new identity.
Other honourable mentions include, Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan, Everton’s signing of Demarai Gray for the bargain price of £1.5 million and Tino Livramento, aged just 18, is part of a Saints defence that has kept five clean sheets.
With big money signings like Jack Grealish and Romelu Lukaku yet to really hit the ground running consistently at their new clubs, West Ham fans will certainly make the case for Zouma.
If West Ham can keep up their form and continue to go far in all competitions, the defender becoming the signing of the season is certainly a possibility.
Zouma joins up with the France National team for the international break alongside fellow Hammer, Alphonse Areola.