Although bringing in the Frenchman, with his impressive track record, was presented as a major coup for owner Ioan Varga, the reality on the pitch fell far short of expectations.
The central defender’s experience in Romania proved to be extremely lucrative for him, but an uninspired move for the club.
According to information from fanatik.ro, Zouma leaves Gruia with all his wages paid up to date, and also received a compensation package to agree to the split.
With a monthly salary of €50,000, the French international earned a total of around €250,000 during his four months with the Transylvanian side.
“CFR 1907 Cluj and defender Kurt Zouma have reached an agreement to end their collaboration. We wish him the best of luck in his career and thank him for his efforts with our team.” announced CFR Cluj on Facebook.
Modest numbers for a former European champion
Even though his CV features giants like Chelsea, Everton, or West Ham United, as well as major trophies like the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, or UEFA Super Cup, Zouma’s physical condition let him down in the SuperLiga.
Plagued by injuries, the defender made just four official appearances, totaling only 197 minutes on the pitch.
His last outing in the Railwaymen’s shirt left a bitter taste for the fans.
On October 31, in the derby against Dinamo Bucuresti at the National Arena, Zouma was brought on when CFR was leading 1-0. But the ending was disastrous: the “Red Dogs” turned the game around in stoppage time, winning 2-1.
Besides that, the Frenchman also played minutes in the draw with UTA Arad, the defeat to Petrolul, and a Cup win against Slatina.
From a €35 million valuation to a premature end in Romania
Zouma’s decline is clear when looking back a few years. In October 2019, while playing for Chelsea, the defender reached the peak of his career, being valued at €35 million on specialist websites.
At 25, he seemed to be one of the best centre-backs in Europe, but persistent medical issues have taken their toll on his career.