As June turned to July, and a new financial year began, no fewer than seven Premier League stalwarts saw their contracts at West Ham United expire.
Vladimir Coufal hopes to stay in England, the veteran right-back feeling that he still has a lot to offer amid reports of potential reunion with David Moyes at Everton. Lukasz Fabianski wants to stick around in London too, rejecting a return to former employers Legia Warsaw.
Danny Ings and Aaron Cresswell may join Wrexham and become the media darlings’ latest marquee additions.
As for West Ham United’s all-time record Premier League goalscorer, Michail Antonio is determined to prove he can bounce back stronger than ever seven months after a car crash which almost ended his career.
Kurt Zouma, meanwhile, could be offered a fresh start in Spain. Potentially, the final domino to fall in Arsenal’s pursuit of Valencia stopper Cristhian Mosquera.
Kurt Zouma celebrates with the trophy after ACF Fiorentina v West Ham United FC - UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2022/23
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Kurt Zouma could join Valencia after West Ham United exit
According to Spanish publication El Desmarque, Kurt Zouma is Valencia’s ‘Plan B’ option.
Briefly captain at West Ham either side of Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen, Zouma’s time at the pinnacle of European football appeared to be over when the 30-year-old Frenchman moved on loan to Qatari outfit Al-Orobah in 2024.
So while this would not quite be a case of ‘falling upwards’ – Valencia are certainly not the La Liga-winning, Champions League-fighting powerhouses of the early-2000s – a fresh start at one of Spain’s most historic clubs would be a pretty big ‘get’ for a player in Zouma’s situation.
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El Desmarque explain that the former Chelsea man has been identified as a replacement for Mosquera. Arsenal are hoping to complete a deal for the £17 million-rated Mosquera, Valencia turning to a man nine years his senior to potentially add some experience to a very young dressing room.
Arsenal are closing in on La Liga starlet Cristhian Mosquera
Fellow centre-back sensation Yarek Gasiorowski could also leave the Mestalla. Brighton, Paris Saint-Germain and the unexpected dons of the transfer market Sunderland are all reportedly interested.
A move to Valencia, who initially considered Cameron Burgess before he swapped Ipswich Town for Swansea City last month, would ensure Zouma finds himself working under a familiar face on the Castellon coast.
Their CEO, Ron Gourlay, was in his final few months as Chelsea’s chief executive when a baby-faced Zouma joined from St Etienne in 2014.
“West Ham United would like to acknowledge Kurt’s contribution to our historic European success,” read an official statement provided by the club’s official website in June, confirming the release of their Conference League-winning former skipper.
“[We want to] thank him for his commitment and hard work in claret and blue.”
While West Ham have not made a penny in transfer fees from their departing septet, Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay will now hope to build a younger, more sustainable squad with less strain on the wage bill.
West Ham were prioritising CJ Egan-Riley as a key target to replenish their depleted backline. However, like so many of their targets, Egan-Riley slipped through the fingers after deciding upon a move to Marseille.