Bobby Zamora could be set for a shock return to the Championship after making his first England start last night.
The 30-year-old was given the nod by Fabio Capello in the friendly against Sweden, which England won 1-0, and was substituted for Darren Bent in the second half. According to a number of sources Zamora has been upset by his manager’s decision to rest him for many of Fulham’s Europa League games.
Martin Jol’s preference for a 4-3-3 formation with one out-and-out forward, as opposed to a system with a support striker, leaves Zamora feeling marginalised and that a possible lack of regular football could hinder his chances of any future England call-ups.
Some of the clubs interested included two of his old clubs; West Ham and Brighton, two teams that he still has a great affection for, but as he has a desire to stay in London and the Hammers are his boyhood club, they are leading the chase.
Crystal Palace have also been mentioned but all three could be trumped by the introduction of Premier League team into the mix.
Zamora’s contract runs until the summer of 2014 and he is valued at £5m, whether a deal will be done with any club in January will depend largely on Fulham’s position in the league.
If they are cruising and chasing a Europa place Jol may begin re-shaping his team into a more youthful, European looking outfit.
However if the Cottagers have slipped down the table and have one eye over their shoulder at the relegation battle then a massive shake up is unlikely.
Jol has been looking to bring in some strikers, such as Scott Sinclair and Mounir El Hamdaoui, with Moussa Dembele being linked with a move to Tottenham and Arsenal making initial enquiries about Clint Dempsey in the past. The completion of any of these
deals could also influence Zamora’s Craven Cottage future.
From West Ham’s point of view they would have again acquired a Premiership quality striker whilst in the Championship.
Zamora is popular with the fans and has a proven track record at that level, the only reservation is that he does not add any variation to the existing attacking options and doesn’t offer anything different to what Carlton Cole and John Carew do.
