Four Games and Gone: Zouma’s Short-Lived Cluj Gamble Blows Up

CFR Cluj have terminated Kurt Zouma’s contract after just four appearances, cutting short a two-year agreement that included an option for a further two. For a player with two Premier League titles and 247 top-flight appearances on his CV, this Romanian detour was meant to be a reset. Instead, it’s been four games, one win, and the exit door.

A whirlwind exit in Romania

The 31-year-old arrived in Cluj with the pedigree to dominate the league, but his last appearance came back in October and the writing was soon on the wall. Head coach Daniel Pancu admitted last month there were talks to find a way out, while former sporting director Daniel Stanciu has since confirmed the departure, suggesting the move unravelled more over money than minutes: the salary, he said, was simply too high.

On the pitch, the returns were thin: one victory in four outings, albeit a thumping 4-0 at CFM Slatina. Off it, the noise never truly faded, and for a veteran centre-half looking to steady the ship, the waters proved choppy from day one.

Pedigree versus reality

Zouma’s career arc is a head-scratcher. From Saint-Étienne to Chelsea to West Ham, the Frenchman once looked nailed on to be a top-level mainstay, even collecting 11 caps for France along the way. In theory, Cluj should have been a comfortable platform to reassert his authority. In practice, form and rhythm eluded him, and the deal fizzled out before it could spark.

The off-field backdrop

There’s no escaping the off-field storyline. In 2022, Zouma’s widely condemned treatment of his cat saw him hammered with a £250,000 club fine, 180 hours of community service, and the loss of a major sponsorship. The turbulence didn’t stop there: his family home was targeted in a burglary in December 2023, and in 2024 his agent, Saif Alrubie, faced charges over an electronic communication to Marina Granovskaia—before being found not guilty in April. It’s been a relentless drip of headlines that has made it harder to keep the conversation strictly football.

What next for Zouma?

Now a free agent, Zouma needs the right dressing room and a coach willing to back his experience. He spent part of his final West Ham season out on loan in the Saudi Pro League; a return to that market feels plausible, given his earlier reputation and the resources on offer. There’s a player in there—strong in the air, aggressive in the duels—but he must prove he can put a consistent body of work together, and quickly.

If you’re weighing up where he might land, the transfer market’s tea leaves are often best read alongside the latest odds and insights from the best betting sites. Wherever he goes, the next move has to be about minutes, not paycheques.

Verdict

This was meant to be a low-risk reboot for club and player. Instead, it’s ended in a swift divorce with finances front and centre. For Zouma, the road back requires humility, fitness, and a run of games out of the spotlight. Do that, and he can still be a handful for strikers. Fail, and this brief Romanian chapter could become the cautionary tale that defines his twilight years.