Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that Kurt Zouma is still in talks to leave West Ham, with Jarrod Bowen now having replaced the Frenchman as club captain.
Zouma recently looked set to join Al-Shabab FC of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but is believed to have failed his medical. He remains in the Middle East as he searches for a club willing to grant him his West Ham exit.
The 29-year-old centre-back joined the Hammers in 2021 from Chelsea, and has made more than 100 appearances since then. Earlier on Thursday, West Ham announced England international Bowen as their new permanent captain.
New boss Lopetegui said of Zouma: “Kurt is a fantastic person and a very good player. He is trying to choose his future. We are going to wait. It’s true that he is trying to talk to other teams right now.
“Let’s see what is going to happen. For sure, the team that has the opportunity to take him, they are going to be happy because he is a good player. I have big respect for Kurt.”
Lopetegui said of Bowen: “He is an English national team player. He has the commitment at the club to become the new captain. All of us are going to help him.
“He has a big responsibility. But the more important thing is what happens on the pitch. We were very clear he was a good choice.”
West Ham have already made eight first-team signings as part of a post-David Moyes summer overhaul, including Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug and Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
Lopetegui did not rule out more signings, amid reports that a new central midfielder is being targeted. West Ham are now being strongly linked with Carlos Soler of Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m not going to talk about names that are not here”, the Spaniard said. “It’s not my aim today. My aim is to be ready for the match.
“Let’s see what is going to happen. The market is open. We are going to be aware about [it]. But we are going to put the focus on the players that are here.”
Lopetegui had positive news for West Ham fans when he revealed that his squad have no immediate fitness issues ahead of hosting Aston Villa in their Premier League opener on Saturday evening.
He said a later decision would be made as to which of the new signings will be in contention to feature but suggested that Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has joined for £15million from Manchester United, could play some part.
“Let’s see,” Lopetegui said on the right-back. “He has played in pre-season with Manchester United enough minutes. But it’s true that his first day [training] was yesterday. We need to check them all tomorrow.”
