Season is over for 3 Empoli stars as fight against relegation gets harder | OneFootball

The Empoli injury crisis just keeps getting worse, as today Christian Kouame, Youssef Maleh and Szymon Zurkowski all had knee surgery.

It is therefore safe to say the season is already over for these three players, who join Pietro Pellegri and Saba Sazonov on the long-term absentee list.

The club had already announced yesterday that Kouame was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and would require surgery.

Now the Ivory Coast international has gone under the knife at the Villa Stuart clinic in Rome and is expected to be out for six months.

He could therefore return early from his loan experience and go to Fiorentina for rehabilitation.

After Kouame, Empoli lose Maleh and Zurkowski too

COMO, ITALY – MARCH 29: Christian Kouame’ of Empoli FC scores their team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Empoli FC at Stadio G. Sinigaglia on March 29, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Empoli had further bad news, because today Maleh also had surgery in Rome for the collateral medial ligament in his left knee.

Meanwhile, midfielder Zurkowski underwent an operation in Barcelona for the lateral compartment of his right knee.

The Tuscans are in the bottom three and have not won a Serie A match since December 2024.

Despite that, they managed to reach the Coppa Italia semi-final, losing the first leg 3-0 to Bologna.