It seems that Crystal Palace are bracing themselves for a summer onslaught from the big vultures that occupy the top of the English football tree. Star duo forward Wilfried Zaha and full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka are both reportedly in demand this summer.
Ivory Coast forward Zaha has stated that he wants to move on this summer to play Champions League football for next season. Now according to Sky Sports, the Eagles have rejected a bid of around £40million for highly-rated full-back Wan-Bissaka. Reportedly Palace wants closer to £60million.
Wan-Bissaka’s display have caught the eye
In a difficult campaign for Palace, young full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of their standout players. He enjoyed a fantastic first full season at right-back. At times the 21-year-old looked the most composed player in the Eagles team.
Not only is he excellent defensively, but he also is not bad at going forward, which is essential for a modern-day full-back. His impressive campaign is also believed to have caught the eye of United’s arch-rivals Manchester City.
However, the Citizens are unlikely to meet the mooted asking price of £60million for the youngster, not while they have England international Kyle Walker at their disposal. Wan-Bissaka would be expensive for just a back-up player, even for the big-spending Citizens.
United are looking to find a replacement for free agent Antonio Valencia this summer, as the Ecuadorian’s contract with the club expires this summer.
Palace do not need to sell their best players
Crystal Palace are likely to be very calm about the situation, as they don’t need to sell their best players. Gone are the days that clubs the size of the Eagles have to sell their best players to survive financially.
Due to the rapid rise of television revenue, smaller clubs can afford to hold onto their players longer than they previously did. They may sell unhappy players, but they will usually come at a premium cost, simply because they are in demand.
If Palace does sell Wan-Bissaka this summer, which is not for certain, then they can afford to hold out for a big fee, as the youngster still has three years left on his contract at Selhurst Park. The Eagles are also likely to sell Zaha this summer for a big profit. It would seem unlikely that Palace let both of their star players leave in one summer. It would certainly weaken their team.
Palace need to avoid the relegation scrap this season
For the past few seasons, Crystal Palace have been in the relegation battle at a fairly late stage in the Premier League campaign. Last season the Eagles finished 12th place.
Their first objective each season seems to be to secure top-flight status for the next campaign. However, surely Roy Hodgson’s team need to be aiming higher than that now.
Palace are now an established top-flight team and should be looking up rather than down. The Eagles are odds of 5/1 to suffer relegation next season, which means the bookies believe they should be safe from the drop.
However, to avoid another season battling at the bottom of the table, they have to start retaining their best players. Unfortunately, some players like Zaha want to move on to bigger clubs, which the Eagles have little control over.
As far as we know, Wan-Bissaka is quite happy to stay at Palace for the foreseeable future. If the youngster is happy to stay, then they should not sell him and strengthen their squad with the sale of Zaha, who has served the club well in recent seasons.
Will Aaron Wan-Bissaka be plying his trade at Crystal Palace next season?
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