Sports
Kurt Zouma Has ‘Contract Terminated’ After Four Matches at CFR Cluj
Former Chelsea and West Ham defender Kurt Zouma has had his contract terminated after just four matches with his new club, CFR Cluj, as confirmed in a statement. The 31-year-old had signed a two-year deal with an option for an additional two years, but has departed before the ink could even dry.
With 247 Premier League appearances and two league titles won during his time at Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman was expected to stand head and shoulders above most players in Romania. However, with his last of four appearances dating back to October, Zouma’s decline has accelerated in recent years.
The 11-capped France international has also courted controversy during this period. He made headlines in 2022 when footage emerged of him kicking, slapping, and throwing objects at his cat, filmed at his home by his brother, Yoan Zouma. Since then, a series of events has further hastened the downward trajectory of his career as things have gone from bad to worse.
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CFR Cluj Release Statement As Kurt Zouma Departs After Four Games
CFR Cluj head coach Daniel Pancu revealed that negotiations were underway between player and club to terminate the defender’s contract early. “Zouma, I know there were discussions between him and the club to find a solution for him to leave. And that’s about it,” Pancu said last month, as per talkSPORT.
And former CFR Director of Football Daniel Stanciu has told Romanian media that the 31-year-old has now left. The reason, however, is suggested to have been more about wages than his performance, as he revealed:
“Yes, I understand that he resigned. He had a very high salary.”
CFR won only one of the four games that Zouma featured in, that coming in a 4-0 win at CFM Slatina. But off-field issues have been a far bigger problem for the veteran defender in the last few years, which has only made focussing on his football all the more difficult.
Zouma’s Off-field Issues Pile Up
Zouma first joined West Ham in 2021 after coming up through Saint-Etienne’s ranks and playing for Chelsea, but it was in east London where his off-field issues began to pile up. While his animal abuse case was the most notorious – resulting in a £250,000 fine from the club, 180 hours of community service, and being dropped by Adidas – other problems have followed.
In December 2023, Zouma and his family were victims of a burglary at their home, when an armed gang stole £100,000 worth of cash and jewellery. Then, in 2024, Zouma’s agent, Saif Alrubie, was charged with sending an electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. In April of the same year, Alrubie was found not guilty of the offence.
Now a free agent once again, it remains to be seen whether Zouma has any potential suitors to see out the rest of his playing days. In the final season of his contract with the Hammers, he spent time on loan in the Saudi Pro League, and that could well be a destination he ends up returning to, given his reputation earlier in his career.
