Would Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha fit in at a big hitter in Europe?
Wilfried Zaha is at a crossroads: Crystal Palace legend soon turns 30 but is stalling on signing a new deal and will be a free agent next summer – Arsenal, Chelsea and Roma are among his suitors, but would he fit in at any of Europe’s big hitters?
- Wilfried Zaha is yet to agree a contract extension with his club Crystal Palace
- The Ivorian forward could well be a free agent at the end of the current season
- Palace have verbally offered him the biggest contract in the club’s entire history
- Arsenal, Chelsea and Italian side Roma are among the star’s multiple suitors
- With Zaha turning 30 in November, would he fit in at any of Europe’s big hitters?
Wilfried Zaha: one-man transfer rumour, football gossip column stalwart, Crystal Palace player for… potentially not much longer.
The ‘will-he-won’t-he’ saga has seemingly rumbled on for longer than questions over Ross and Rachel on Friends, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ by the Clash the soundtrack to each of his summers. But this year is different.
His contract expires in summer 2023, meaning if he fails to pen a new deal, he will be a free agent, and clubs outside England can approach to sign him for nothing from January – now less than two months away.
Zaha is the star player at Selhurst Park, maybe the best player in the club’s history – although Ian Wright might have something to say about that – and has left an indelible mark on their history.
In 2012-13, Zaha scored eight goals (second top), assisted eight (top), scored twice in the play-off semi-final against bitter rivals Brighton, won the penalty which sent them to the Premier League and has, arguably, single-handedly kept them there since.
As a big fish in a small-ish pond, the Ivorian forward has attracted attention from several top European clubs since summer 2017, when he signed his current contract, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United credited with interest.
So if he decides to leave SE25, he will have plenty of suitors. But would he fit in at any of England’s or Europe’s big hitters? Below, Sportsmail‘s Max Mathews analyses the situation and suggests where Zaha could go next.
Crystal Palace’s star forward Wilfried Zaha (pictured) might not be at the club much longer
The Eagles’ talisman’s contract expires at the end of the season and he is yet to sign a new deal
The Man United experiment
After sending Palace up in his final act for the club before his £15million move to Manchester United, the eyes of the world were on the sparkling 20-year-old wonderkid.
He was the last signing for legendary Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson before his retirement, gifting Zaha to his successor David Moyes.
But after giving him his debut in the Community Shield, Moyes, out of his depth and with his side desperately struggling for form, did not want to put his faith in a youngster and sent him on loan in January to Cardiff, where Zaha was miserable.
Zaha was barely given a chance at Manchester United after a £15million move to Old Trafford
After a difficult pre-season when Zaha, then exclusively a winger, was shunted between striker and wing-back in new manager Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 system in friendlies against top sides, he re-signed for Palace on loan and then permanently.
That short and unsuccessful stint at Old Trafford, not helped by false and malicious rumours about his personal life, has led some to question whether he is cut out for the very highest level and whether he is good enough for a bigger club than Palace.
Nonsense. How good could Zaha have been had United given him a chance like another raw talent like, say, Raheem Sterling got at Liverpool after a mixed start?
There was another gifted winger who arrived at United, looked unpolished at first but under the guidance of a world-class boss like Ferguson and given time and patience, blossomed into one of the best in the world. His name was Cristiano Ronaldo.
Zaha ranks highly among other Premier League wingers for goals. Graphic by: sofascore.com
Thriving at Palace
Since then, Zaha has been consistently brilliant for the Eagles. He’s won the Player of the Year award three times (in a row!) in eight season but he would be a realistic option in any of the other years he didn’t win it too.
Other than a relatively poor season in 2019-20, he has increased his goalscoring tally year on year too, with an excellent 14 league goals last campaign – just three less than world-class striker Harry Kane in a significantly worse attacking team.
Those statistics reflect his development from a skinny, gangly teenager who loved a stepover a bit too much to an elite forward, whose main currency is no longer skills and embarrassing his marker but finding the back of the net.
Since moving back, the Ivorian has thrived at Selhurst Park, scoring 15 goals last campaign
Zaha, 29, is widely seen as one of the best and most talented players outside the ‘Big Six’ teams
Vieira (now on 57 games) has relied heavily on Zaha to help maintain Palace’s form
Now a strong penalty-taker too, he has started this season well, with five goals and an assist in just 11 games. At 29, albeit he turns 30 on November 10, he is in the prime of his career, fit and injury-free.
He is versatile, physically and technically excellent, capable of moments of match-winning brilliance and unquestionably one of the best players outside the ‘Big Six’ of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool.
The contract situation
As exclusively revealed by Sportsmail on Tuesday, Zaha is stalling on signing a new deal despite verbally being offered more than his current £130,000-a-week deal in what would be a club-record contract.
The two parties are not close to an agreement and the south London club now, understandably, fear their chances of keeping their talisman beyond this season are fading.
In previous transfer windows, clubs have been put off by the prohibitive asking price, although of course, it is Palace’s prerogative to demand big money for their key player to keep him away from his suitors’ clutches. It’s worked.
Last summer, Zaha was given a verbal indication by chairman Steve Parish that he could leave if the right offer came in. Yet from the club’s point of view, Everton’s £40m offer, the only serious bid, was miles short and a frustrated Zaha had to stay.
Eagles manager Patrick Vieira (left) will be hoping his star man commits his future to the club
Not so now. In January, Palace could be willing to sell on the cheap – perhaps for around £15-20million – to avoid losing him for nothing, opening the door to a potential move away if not in January, then in the summer for free.
And plenty will be keen for that kind of deal.
Last month, Eagles manager Patrick Vieira said: ‘Wilfried knows what the club think about him, and we know what he thinks about the club. There will be discussions taking place, but for myself and for the club what’s important is for him to play at this level and be consistent.
‘We will see what will happen. If he has a good day, the team will have a good day. He’s an important player on and off the field.’
Potential barriers to a move
There are still concerns from potential buying clubs.
For example, whether he has the ability (he does) or mentality for a top-level side, given his propensity to lose his temper at times during matches.
His frustration largely comes from teams targeting him with physical treatment and verbal abuse – he often tops the ‘most fouled player’ table in the Premier League – and referees somehow contriving to ignore constant and obvious fouls on him.
There are questions over whether Zaha could handle a move to a bigger club than Palace
Perhaps at a better and bigger club, he would receive the protection a player of his prodigious talents deserves.
Accusations of diving are completely baseless and an attempt from opposition sides to avoid fouls being given against them for kicking him.
More genuine worries would include whether he would get the same amount of game time he receives at Palace at a Champions League-level team, and whether a big team would want to give him a potential £150,000-a-week deal for three years, which would finish with him 33 years old.
He might also struggle to adapt from being the main man, star player and penalty taker at Palace compared to potentially just a squad player elsewhere, without the fanatical support, unequivocal love and forgiveness of any mistakes that he gets from Palace fans.
Where would he fit?
Despite growing up in the shadow of Selhurst Park and coming through Palace’s youth system, Zaha is a boyhood Arsenal fan, lending that move a certain romance.
He may not start in a front three of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, but would be an obvious second choice in any of those three positions, with Gunners cover for the trio looking light at the moment: Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Marquinhos.
A move to Chelsea could work too – there are questions over the future of loaned-out Callum Hudson-Odoi and Romelu Lukaku, with Christian Pulisic and especially Hakim Ziyech seemingly out of favour and lots of interest in striker Armando Broja, 21.
Zaha on a free, especially to a team in European competition with a packed schedule needing lots of rotation, would make a lot of sense, although after the £60m summer signing of Richarlison, Tottenham’s forward line might be a bit too packed for him.
He may become an option for Liverpool if striker Roberto Firmino leaves this summer, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp previously calling him ‘world-class’.
A free transfer to the likes of Graham Potter’s Chelsea this summer could be a shrewd move for both parties – while Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp has previously called the forward ‘world-class’
Meanwhile, the re-emergence of Marcus Rashford would likely prevent a return to United and Pep Guardiola’s Man City squad is already so strong, they would probably not need him.
But a move to Europe – remember, clubs outside England can approach to sign him for free in January – might suit Roma, with manager Jose Mourinho known to be a fan.
The 30-cap international is a clear upgrade on Stephan El Shaarawy and Eldor Shomurodov, would dovetail nicely with Nicolo Zaniolo and Paulo Dybala and could help, and cover for, the goalscoring woes of Andrea Belotti and Tammy Abraham.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan and Inter Milan are also said to be fans of the player. Being among a stellar cast of superstars at PSG might not suit Zaha, but a more stable club in Italy would provide him a better platform to excel.
All Palace fans would be sad to see him go, but most would not begrudge him a move and the chance, finally, to prove himself at the higher levels they have always known he can reach.
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