Darren Bent has told talkSPORT that Kurt Zouma has not done enough at Chelsea over the past two seasons to warrant demanding West Ham United make him their best-paid player.
The former Sunderland and England striker understands Zouma will believe he can warrant a high wage by arriving from Chelsea. But he questions whether the Frenchman did enough under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel from January for West Ham to accept his request.
Reports by The Athletic claim West Ham are ready to meet Chelsea’s €30m (£25.5m) asking price to sign Zouma. However, the Hammers deal is on hold as David Moyes’ side hesitate to hand him a pay rise as requested. The Guardian claim he wants £130k-per-week to join.
Andriy Yarmolenko is currently the top-earner at the London Stadium on £115k-p/w, per Spotrac, although the Hammers hope to sell. West Ham offering Zouma in excess of the Ukrainian would stun Bent, who believes it could fracture the dressing room.
“It might upset the team, but it’s a premium as he’s come from Chelsea, so I get it,” Bent said. “That’s why he’s trying to command those kinds of figures. But at the same time, I don’t think he’s earned the right in terms of performances on the pitch.
“If he comes in and says he wants to be the highest-paid player and if I’m one of the players in the dressing room, I’m thinking: ‘why?’ I know he’s come from Chelsea, but I wouldn’t say his performances over the past couple of seasons have seen him deserve to be the highest-paid player at West Ham.”
Does Zouma deserve £130k-p/w to leave Chelsea for West Ham, or is Bent right?
Zouma was a mainstay of Lampard’s plans during the England legend’s time in charge at Chelsea. The 26-year-old started 40 of his 43 Premier League appearances, missing 14 games after a blip in early 2020. But with Tuchel at the helm, he has started just seven of nine outings and watched 12 from the sidelines.
Zouma’s top-flight record under Tuchel, more so than Lampard, will fuel Bent’s belief that he has not done enough at Chelsea to deserve being West Ham’s top-earner. He especially struggled after the German brought in a three-at-the-back system to fall out of favour.
Before that, Zouma delivered performances that would appeal to Moyes as he seeks improvements at West Ham, despite Bent’s scepticism. Consistently striving to do that bit extra beside Thiago Silva and training magnificently. To earn Lampard’s praise, via the Chelsea website: “The level he’s playing at week-in, week-out is brilliant.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
