Ivory Coast and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha could finally get his long-awaited move away from Crystal Palace this summer, as the Eagles weigh up whether to cash in on the 29-year-old, who has 12 months left on his contract.
Zaha has been angling for a move away for several seasons now, but potential suitors have always been put off by the hefty demands of the south London club, who were looking to fetch £70m for their talisman.
It is what eventually saw Arsenal look elsewhere under Unai Emery, with the Spaniard claiming that Zaha was his first choice over Nicolas Pepe, who they eventually signed for the same price.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Monday April 4, 2022. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
‘I was thinking the adaptation was easier for Zaha because he was playing in the Premier League and you didn’t know exactly how fast Nicolas Pepe can adapt to the Premier League’, the former Arsenal boss claimed.
‘I was thinking at this time that the adaptation of Zaha was probably easier and faster than Pepe.’
Now, however, Zaha may finally get his wish to leave, following a season in which he has reached 12 League goals, the most for the Eagles.
But it all depends on Palace playing ball.
Will Palace sell?
As per the Times, it remains unclear. They warn that it could take a big bid to prise him away from Selhurst Park, and also claim that fellow winger Michael Olise has a £35m release clause in his contract, which could perhaps represent a more attractive option to bigger clubs given his age and profile.
‘In previous years, Palace have taken the view that his value to helping them stay in the Premier League — through his goals, contributions and presence — was greater than the possible transfer fee, and rival teams have not been prepared to pay over the odds’, they warn.
‘There is little reason to think that Palace will alter their position this summer’.
But, should a bid come in for the Ivorian, it would surely have to be considered.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 34 | 63 | 83 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 34 | 64 | 82 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 34 | 39 | 66 |
| 4 | Arsenal FC | 34 | 13 | 63 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 34 | 20 | 61 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 36 | 5 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 35 | 7 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 34 | 1 | 49 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 35 | -8 | 44 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 35 | -16 | 43 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 33 | -6 | 42 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 34 | 3 | 41 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 33 | -2 | 40 |
| 14 | Brentford FC | 35 | -11 | 40 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 35 | -17 | 40 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 34 | -15 | 34 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 34 | -34 | 34 |
| 18 | Everton FC | 33 | -20 | 32 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 34 | -37 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 34 | -49 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 12 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 8 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Joelinton | Newcastle United | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 6 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 6 |
