According to the Mirror, Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has hired agent Pini Zahavi in an attempt to force a move away from Selhurst Park. The move comes as speculation mounts that Zaha wants a big-money to the Eagles London rival Tottenham. However, it seems that Tottenham are not willing to pay Palace’s asking price of £80million.
Tottenham are not the only club interested in the winger, with German champions reportedly alerted to the 27-year-old’s situation by Zahavi.
Reportedly Zaha still wants to leave Palace
Wilfried Zaha was the subject of interest from both Arsenal and Everton in the summer, but neither club were prepared to pay the £80million asking price. The winger is believed to have wanted to move to the Gunners, but when they withdrew their interest, he was prepared to join Everton. He even handed in a transfer request late in the transfer window, but Palace would not budge on their valuation.
The fact he previously stated he wanted to play Champions League football and was then prepared to settle for clubs like Arsenal and Everton, who can’t offer him that suggested he just wanted to leave Palace for a fresh start or a pay rise.
Highly inconsistent performer
If dictionaries had pictures, next to the world mercurial there would be Wilfried Zaha. The winger is such a frustrating player. When he is on form, he is a joy to watch and will cause most defences in the game problems. However, he is just so frustratingly inconsistent.
The games were he is a constant attacking threat and tortures defences seem to be dwindling. For instance, this season he has produced just three goals and the same number of assists in 21 top-flight appearances. That is a poor record especially as he played the whole 90 minutes in 20 of those Premier League games.
Those stats are not those of an £80million player. With his undoubted ability, you would expect more end product from the Ivory Coast international. However, he has had the same problem throughout his career. Everybody is still waiting for Zaha to find that consistency that would elevate him to the next level.
Unfortunately for him, he is not a youngster anymore at 27. He is in his prime and should be delivering more. The fact that he has not produced for a sustained period of time is maybe what is deterring clubs from matching Palace’s £80million price tag.
Maybe Palace is the best place for him
Wilfried Zaha is a hero at Crystal Palace. He is their talisman, even if he does not produce enough on a regular basis. He will not get the love or the patience he receives from the Palace faithful anywhere else.
Maybe Palace is the best place for the winger. The Eagles are enjoying a solid campaign and are odds of 2/1 for a top-half finish. It is not a terrible club to be at, especially when they offer regular first-team football.
If he moves to a bigger club, Zaha will be a small fish in a big pond again, just as he was at Manchester United when he made his last move as a youngster. There is a hope that he has matured as a player and a person since the Red Devils debacle.
He is obviously keen to test himself in the European game. However, as many players have found out, sometimes the grass at not greener at bigger clubs and maybe it is better to be a star player at a midtable club than just another player at a bigger club.
Will Wilfried Zaha leave Crystal Palace in January?
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