Prince Rupert's Tower
Fansided

Zouma trying to force Everton move

By Matt Townsend

ANDORRA LA VELLA, ANDORRA - JUNE 11: Kurt Zouma and Kylian Mbappe of France shake hands at the end of the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualification match between Andorra and France at Estadi Nacional on June 11, 2019 in Andorra la Vella, Andorra. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
ANDORRA LA VELLA, ANDORRA - JUNE 11: Kurt Zouma and Kylian Mbappe of France shake hands at the end of the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualification match between Andorra and France at Estadi Nacional on June 11, 2019 in Andorra la Vella, Andorra. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Just a few days after it seemed almost certain that Kurt Zouma wouldn’t be available for Everton to sign, the Frenchman might be trying to force through a move to Goodison Park himself.

Reports that have surfaced in the Mirror claim that Zouma is still keen to become a permanent Everton player and is prepared to try to force Chelsea to sell him by handing in a transfer request.

This is an interesting move, if it’s actually got any shred of truth to it. According to this report, despite new manager Frank Lampard publically saying he wants to keep Zouma and sees him as integral to his plans for this season, the player isn’t convinced he will actually get more playing time at Stamford Bridge.

This is also despite the club’s transfer ban, which obviously means that Chelsea can’t sign any new defenders.

Zouma wants to be playing regularly to give him the best possible chance of inclusion in the France squad for the 2020 European Championships. And it appears as though he has calculated that re-joining Everton will give him the best shot at doing that.

To be honest it seems unlikely that Chelsea will accede to such a request, however they may also calculate that if he’s unsettled it might make more sense to let him go.

It seems unlikely to me that the London club will sell Zouma unless they are really convinced he could be a disruptive to team unity.

But if Zouma is successful and gets his transfer request, then that would certainly be good news for Everton, although the fee Chelsea would want for letting him go might be considerable.

More from Prince Rupert's Tower

In other transfer news, Kieran Trippier has completed his move from Tottenham to Spain to play for Athletico Madrid.

I thought Trippier might have been a great signing for the Blues if they had tried to get him and had managed to persuade him to stay in England.

Everton do seem to be in the market for another right-back and Trippier is an excellent all-round full-back who would have fitted the bill nicely.

Of course in truth he was always likely to prefer a club in the Champions League in the end and Athletico Madrid have snapped him up for what is a bargain £20 million.

Home/Transfer Rumors