Former Champions League winner in Kazakhstan's league

Ever since his days at Saint-Etienne, Kurt Zouma was considered one of the most talented centre-backs on the planet, but he was also plagued by injury problems. His inability to stay fit has put him in a situation where, at the age of 31, he is drifting through unattractive destinations. His most recent spell in Cluj was particularly unsuccessful. The former world champion with France arrived in Romania, and after just a few months his contract was terminated. Zouma had problems with both knees and played four matches, totaling just 197 minutes, before the deal was canceled. This winter there was talk of a move to Poland, as Pogon Szczecin showed interest, and a return to one of Europe’s top five leagues was also mentioned, with Valencia being linked. However, according to Russian media, the Frenchman is now in talks with Kaysar from Kazakhstan.

The top-flight club recently unveiled Victor Moses, a former Chelsea teammate. According to reports, Zouma is demanding an annual salary of 350,000 plus bonuses, or 35,000 per month; by comparison, he earned 10,000 euros more per month in Cluj. Such financial demands from the experienced centre-back best illustrate how far he has declined. While playing for West Ham, in his first season (2021/22), he earned 7,796,866 eruos per year!

Veteran Desert Fox joins ex-EPL 'cat lover' and strengthens African core in Romania

Again, everything is connected to injuries. At Chelsea, he was sidelined for nine months due to a torn ligament; at West Ham, he was frequently absent because of various injuries. On top of that came the infamous cat incident, for which he was fined 250,000 euros, and numerous sponsors decided to end their cooperation with Zouma. Now the Frenchman could be looking at a fresh start in Kazakhstan, a country currently experiencing a footballing expansion driven by the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Miralem Pjanić is expected to sign a 12-month contract with Aktobe, and Nani has agreed a deal with the same club for the same period. Aktobe’s idea also included the signing of Thomas Müller, but he changed his mind at the last moment after hearing that he would have to play on artificial pitches. We will see whether Kurt Zouma, with his battered knees, will also end up playing on those same surfaces.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 8

Wednesday

23.00: (3.05) Ajax (3.50) Olympiacos (2.40)

23.00: (1.03) Arsenal (20.0) Kairat Almaty (60.0)

23.00: (2.75) Athletic Bilbao (3.45) Sporting Lisbon (2.65)

23.00: (1.33) Atletico Madrid (6.00) Bodo/Glimt (9.00)

23.00: (1.15) Barcelona (10.5) Copenhagen (17.0)

23.00: (4.00) Benfica (4.25) Real Madrid (1.85)

23.00: (2.80) Club Brugge (3.65) Olympique Marseille (2.50)

23.00: (2.95) Borussia Dortmund (3.50) Inter Milan (2.45)

23.00: (4.70) Eintracht Frankfurt (3.70) Tottenham (1.85)

23.00: (1.70) Bayer Leverkusen (4.20) Villarreal (4.90)

23.00: (1.12) Liverpool (12.0) Qarabag (19.0)

23.00: (1.25) Manchester City (7.00) Galatasaray (12.0)

23.00: (3.80) Monaco (3.85) Juventus (1.95)

23.00: (3.40) Napoli (3.50) Chelsea (2.25)

23.00: (1.60) PSG (4.75) Newcastle (5.25)

23.00: (5.75) PSV (4.75) Bayern Munich (1.55)

23.00: (2.70) Pafos (3.35) Slavia Prague (2.80)

23.00: (3.50) St. Gilloise (3.65) Atalanta (2.10)

***odds are subject to change***