Former West Ham defender Kurt Zouma could finally make his debut with his new team in the UAE Pro League this weekend.
Zouma left the Hammers on a free transfer last summer after four seasons in East London, joining Romanian club CFR Cluj.
The Frenchman played just four times for Cluj before leaving by mutual consent in January and signing for Al-Wasl a month later.
Zouma has still not made his debut for Al-Wasl, but he is close to returning to action ahead of a battle with Cristiano Ronaldo.
What would you say if you heard West Ham could RE-SIGN Kurt Zouma? 🇫🇷
Kurt Zouma plays during the round 10 of Romania Superliga match between CFR 1907 Cluj and UTA Arad at Dr Constantin Radulescu stadium in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on September 21, 2025.
Ex-West Ham man Kurt Zouma one step closer to Al-Wasl debut
Zouma is only 31 years old, but a series of knee injuries have prevented him from playing at the highest level.
The ex-West Ham and Chelsea centre-back is now looking to enjoy the twilight years of his career in the UAE.
However, Zouma’s fitness issues have forced him to miss Al-Wasl’s four games since they signed him at the end of February.
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The good news is that Zouma recently played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Al-Khaleej during the international break.
Kurt Zouma plays during the round 10 of Romania Superliga match between CFR 1907 Cluj and UTA Arad at Dr Constantin Radulescu stadium
Photo by Flaviu Buboi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
He has posted pictures of himself playing and training on his Instagram account, with the latter captioned: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
This suggests Zouma is close to making his debut for Al-Wasl, with their next match against Ajman on Saturday.
They will then play against Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr, in the AFC Champions League quarter-final on 19 April.
It remains to be seen whether Zouma will face one of the greatest footballers of all time in either his first or second game.
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