Zola Turns Down Southend Loan Move

Dario is allowing outcast striker Calvin Zola to leave on loan, but the former Tranmere man has turned down a spell at Southend United.

After scoring 18 goals last season, Zola has made a poor start to the new term with just the one goal; it has seen him relegated to the bench having not made a start since the 4th September trip to Stevenage.

Zola cost the Alex a cool £200,000 when he moved from Prenton Park in 2008 under Steve Holland’s reign. He came under huge fan criticism in his first year when he only netted five goals in our relegation season, but silenced critics last year with goals aplenty. This season has seen him quickly fall out of the reckoning, with Dario insisting that Zola isn’t even scoring during training.

Speaking following Saturday’s 5-5 at Chesterfield, Dario said that League Two rivals Southend had offered to take the big Congolese striker on loan but Zola had opted to stay at Gresty Road.

I suppose you can now expect Zola to depart at some stage in the next few months. With his contract expiring in the summer, Dario clearly has no desire to keep him on at the club with Miller, Moore and even Leitch-Smith jumping ahead of him in the pecking order.

You’d have to call into question the decision to allow him to leave to a fellow League Two club though. Hardly a lost cause, we wouldn’t want Zola firing another League Two side above us in the table… would we?